Picking, preparing & making good use of pumpkins
Rhonda Gordon
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
What a beautiful fall we are enjoying here in Lyon County.
The trees are starting to turn colors and there are plenty of pumpkins to be seen.
About 99 percent of the pumpkins marketed are used for jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. Pumpkins generally vary in size from the very small to those weighing several hundred pounds.
For pie filling and other cooking needs, sugar pumpkins, a smaller variety with closed-grained flesh are better. Pumpkins are members of the squash family. There are four types of pumpkins:
- “Cheese” pumpkins are grown for eating.
- “Stock” pumpkins are grown to feed livestock and make jack-o-lanterns.
- “Giant” pumpkins
- “Ornamental” pumpkins
When selecting your pumpkin keep in mind what the end use will be. When selecting a pumpkin for cooking, the best selection is a “pie pumpkin” or “sweet pumpkin.” These are smaller than the large jack-o-lantern pumpkins and the flesh is sweeter and less watery. However you can substitute the jack-o-lantern variety with fairly good results.
Look for a pumpkin with 1 to 2 inches of stem left. If the stem is cut down too low the pumpkin will decay quickly or may be decaying at the time of purchase. Avoid pumpkins with blemishes and soft spots. It should be heavy, shape is unimportant. A lopsided pumpkin is not necessarily a bad pumpkin. Allow one pound of raw, untrimmed pumpkin for each cup finished pumpkin puree.
Preparing your pumpkin
Spread newspaper over your work area. Start by removing the stem with a sharp knife. If you are planning to roast the pumpkin seeds, smash the pumpkin against a hard surface to break it open. If not, cut in half with a sharp knife. In any case, remove the stem and scoop out the seed and scrape away all of the stringy mass.
The bright orange color of pumpkin is a dead giveaway that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. Current research shows that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain cancers and offers protection against heart disease as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.
Pumpkin seeds are one of the most nutritious parts of the pumpkin. Eating pumpkin seeds is an easy way to consume more magnesium. Roasted pumpkin seeds contain 150 mg of magnesium per ounce. Roasting and drying pumpkin seeds are two different processes. To dry, carefully wash pumpkin seeds to remove the clinging fibrous pumpkin tissue. Pumpkin seeds can be dried in the sun, in a dehydrator 115 to120 degrees for 1or 2 hours, or in an oven on warm for 3 to 4 hours. Stir them frequently to avoid scorching. To roast pumpkin seeds, take dried pumpkin seeds, toss with oil and or salt and roast in a preheated oven at 250 degres 10 to 15 minutes. You may also flavor your pumpkin seeds when roasting. The recipes that follow use fresh not dried pumpkin seeds.
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
2 cups washed pumpkin seeds
5 tsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
In a bowl, toss pumpkin seeds with butter and Worcestershire sauce. Combine the sugar, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne; sprinkle over seeds and toss to coat.
Line a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with foil; coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Spread seeds on pan. Bake at 250˚F for 45-60 minutes or until seeds are dry and lightly browned, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container. Makes 2 cups.
Nutrition facts per 1/4 cup: 95 calories, 5 grams fat (2 grams saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 181 mg sodium, 9 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 3 gram protein.
Other flavors of pumpkin seeds: After tossing with butter before baking, omit the remaining ingredients listed above and toss with the following instead:
- Combine 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp. each ground nutmeg and ground cloves for sweet treats.
- Combine 1/2 tsp. each salt and paprika; 1/4 tsp. each onion powder, oregano and dried thyme; and 1/8 tsp. pepper for a savory flavor.
- Combine 1 tsp. barbecue seasoning and toss with seeds for a barbecue flavor.
- Combine 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. each onion powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, and chili powder; and 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper for a Mexican flavor.
Take time to enjoy the fall with your family. Stroll around your neighborhood and enjoy the fresh air. I hope you will try one the nutritious snacks listed above that only a pumpkin in the fall can provide.
F Rhonda Gordon is the family and consumer sciences agent for K-State Research and Extension in Lyon County. For more information on this column, nutrition, food safety, parenting, financial management, health and safety email Rhonda at rgordon@ksu.edu call the Lyon County Extension Office at 341-3220.