” I was thinking about the origin of the word pumpkin. It’s such a cute word. Kind of plump and friendly–and sexy in a farmer’s daughter sort of way.”–Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker

1-12244421703ZjUA couple days ago we said “Goodbye!” to the autumn with Thanksgiving celebrations and pumpkin pies. We can still enjoy this most generous gift of Mother Nature. As we all know, pumpkin has become famous in the form of the pumpkin pie, but there is so much more we can do with this squash that is harvested in the coolness of the fall. 

Fresh from the field, plump and friendly pumpkins can find smart use in our kitchens till New Year’s Day. Please don’t say that you can have your pumpkin pie in May, August or February. It’ll be a pie made with Libby’s canned pumpkins. You cannot compare it in taste with a pie baked with fresh pumpkins.

So many delicious meals can be created with fresh squashes. In summer time zucchini are my favorites. They are the most versatile and most loved of all squashes. These vegetables are easy to cook. They are tender, have delicate flavor, and are available all year through in stores. The winter squashes, such as acorn squash, kahocha, and onion squash are available only in season.  

So, if you love zucchini the most, buy only locally grown that are sold by farmers from mid to late summer. In summer you can make zuchini pancakes with fresh dill, stuffed zucchini with walnuts, feta cheese and basil, and zucchini with walnuts, fresh parsley and cheese gratin–all from fresh vegetables according to the season. Now don’t miss an opportunity to cook with fresh pumpkins and other winter squashes.

The winter is upon us, and nutritious pumpkins and other winter squashes are the vegetables of a day.  Pumpkins are  the most popular of the winter squashes. These pleasing vegetables are bright in color, huge in size, smooth in skin and sweet in taste. As sources say, pumpkins are originated in America and found thousands of devoted homes and creative cooks there. However, other nations also adapted pumpkins from a culinary point of view, and came up with different deliciouis and healthy meals.

I grew up in a family in southeastern Europe that passed from generation to generation basic principles of eating the healthy way. Fresh vegetables were very important part in our menu, including cucurbita, tikva (pumpkins). My grandmother created lots of fabulous appetizers, soups, side dishes and desserts with fresh pumpkins growing in our garden.  

All these meals looked so colorful, thanks to the pumpkin’s bright and happy orange  color, which gave me a feeling of a special food holiday every time I came to the dinner table and there was a dish with this vegetable. What is better than the simple pleasure to make and enjoy home-cooked, natural  foods with the whole family around the large table? This approach is the most beneficial to our health, and cannot be compared with going out and eating any restaurant food. 

We may have excuses that we don’t have Grandmas cooking for us, that we live stressful lives  and struggle day by day trying to meet all our commitments. We can complain that we don’t have a chance to slow down and don’t have time to give our bodies enough of physical activity. Instead, we ’save” ourselves with  fast food and expansive medical medicines. Don’t you realize that all drugs have side-effects, and all foods we take out are highly processed and stripped out of natural ingredients? Is it really a better, happier and healthier lifestyle we dream about?

Read our next post, Soup Is Undisputable Champion of Comfort Foods, Part 3

References: Text by Svetlana Konnikova, Photo “Pumpkins” by Petr Kratochvil Copyright 2009.