How to Use Fresh Pumpkin — Seeds and All!

Metus dictum at tempor commodo

Cooking Whole Pumpkins

Of course, back in those days folks were wise enough to make an effort to get the maximum use out of everything they had, and the lowly pumpkin was no exception. Some accounts actually report that early New England barbers — when they couldn’t find a cap or bowl for the purpose — simply hollowed out a small pumpkin shell and fit it over the hair of a customer as a make-do shearing guide (hence the expression “pumpkin head”).

And, as you’d imagine, settlers cooked up all kinds of pumpkin recipes: They dried the gourds and ground them into flour, they baked or steamed the shells and — after pressing the cooked pulp through a sieve and adding sweetening and spices — put up jars of pumpkin butter. They also prepared puddings and soups and wines and dozens of other dishes from the squash, as well. (In 1672, author John Josselyn reported in his journal, New England Rarities Discovered, that stewed pumpkin makes a nice accompaniment to “fish or flesh” but observed that the vegetable “provokes urine extremely and is very windy”.)

All in all, then, this food is certainly versatile enough to deserve a more prominent place in the contemporary North American kitchen. For one thing, pumpkin ranks among the richest of domestic produce nutritionally: A half-cup contains only 27 calories, but yields a whopping 2,500 units of vitamin A, and considerable quantities of B complex and C vitamins, too — along with generous amounts of phosphorus, calcium, and iron.

Interestingly enough, relatively few cooks today know how to use fresh pumpkin as a substitute in virtually any recipe calling for winter squash. Botanically speaking, edible pumpkin species — Cucurbita pepo — includes summer squash, too, but the “symbols of Halloween” themselves are closer in texture and flavor to, and therefore more appropriate alternates for, winter varieties.

As a matter of fact, because pumpkin tends to take on the dominant flavors of whatever ingredients it’s cooked with, you can use it as the basis for many different dishes — particularly those that are highly spiced. For example, next time you crave some banana nut bread and don’t have any of the tropical fruit on hand, remember that you can substitute pumpkin puree for bananas in quick breads.

When to Harvest Pumpkins

I hope I’ve convinced you to try to increase your use of this tasty, healthful vegetable, because early fall is the beginning of the season when fresh pumpkins are abundant ( and inexpensive). If you’re growing your own, do wait till after the first frost, then cut the orbs from their vines, leaving about one inch of stem on each. But don’t bring the harvest inside immediately. Instead, let the fruit “cure” in the field for two to three weeks (unless you’re hit by an extended rainy spell, in which case you should get the golden globes under cover to prevent rot).

If you’re buying a pumpkin, choose a specimen with a firm skin and stem. The small “sugar” varieties are best for cooking, but just about any size can be used in most dishes. There’s no reason, for example, why you can’t purchase a pumpkin of substantial girth to be carved into a jack-o’-lantern and then recycled, after Halloween, into a tasty meal or two.

Storing Pumpkins: Whole, Canned, or Dried

It isn’t necessary that you eat your entire supply of pumpkin right away. Storing pumpkins is easy, as one of this vegetable’s greatest advantages is its easy preservability. The gourds don’t keep quite as well in a root cellar as do thicker-skinned winter squash, but if handled gently so that they don’t bruise, and stored — off the ground and not touching one another — in a cool (50° to 60°F) moisture-free location, they should stay fresh for up to three months. (Do wipe the cellared fruit with a cloth from time to time, though, otherwise, the moisture resulting from condensation could lead to decay.)

Of course, storing pumpkins whole isn’t your only option; you can also freeze or can pumpkin by following the instructions in any good cookbook or food-preservation text. As an alternative, though, you might want to try a handy traditional southern method for drying pumpkins. Just scoop out the insides and slice the fruit into inch-wide rings, then peel the circles and hang them on a horizontal broom handle or stick near your stove or — when the weather’s good — outside.

If you let the rounds dehydrate until they’re tough and leathery, and then store them in airtight containers (or simply hang them in a warm, dry place), they’ll keep for quite a long time. But remember, if you use this preservation method you will have to cook the food at length — as much as several hours — to restore it to a palatable consistency.