When I think of fall, I think of the splendor of color with the changing leaves, breaking out cozy flannels/sweaters and the nostalgic tastes of our annual pumpkin recipes. God provides an abundant harvest of the classic fall fruits and vegetables here in New England. When I was first married and on a tight budget, I endeavored to not waste our pumpkins and use them for more than just decoration. From that determination yielded a search for tasty pumpkin recipes, because at the time I did not even like pumpkin pie. Now as a family with seven kids we’ve successfully found a number of pumpkin recipes that we anticipate year after year.
Cooking up a pumpkin can be a lot of work. How do I make it fun without forcing my kids to pitch in? Every year we host a pumpkin carving contest for teens at our home which yields great enjoyment, but the added benefit is that I’m left with a few pumpkins that are ready to cook. Since they have been cut open and their pulp and seeds have been scooped out, the hardest work of prepping a pumpkin to cook has been completed. In some ways I feel like Tom Sawyer in Mark Twain’s famous book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer who convinced his friends that painting the fence was a wonderful privilege (rather than a punishment) that required skill and was fun, so the job was happily completed by his friends instead. Tom concluded that “Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do,” while play is what we engage in that we are not obliged to do. None of my kids are required to carve a pumpkin, yet I have five carved pumpkins ready to cook today thanks to the reverse psychology of a fun carving event!
I’ve included instructions for how to cook a whole pumpkin and three of our favorite pumpkin recipes on recipe cards below which are printable below. I love adorning our home with pumpkins, yet as we enjoy the blessings of the autumn harvest, let us also see His provision as more than just décor; may we see it as a means of His bountiful provision. May our kitchens emanate with the fragrant aroma of pumpkin with cinnamon, our table be surrounded by those we love, and may our hearts be filled with thanksgiving for God’s unfailing goodness.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches. Psalm 104:24
A whole pumpkin yields a tremendous amount of food. I initially cook the pumpkin, puree it, then substitute the puree for canned pumpkin in all of my pumpkin recipes. This saves a great deal of money, but if you are more interested in saving time, canned pumpkin is also an option in my recipes. Included below are instructions for cooking a whole pumpkin and recipes for roasted pumpkin seeds, our beloved pumpkin chocolate chip bread and easy pumpkin smoothies. Stay tuned for more of our favorite pumpkin recipes and ideas next week!
Here is how I make the pumpkin puree itself:
Assuming that the pumpkin has already been cut open and seeds/pulp are removed, cut the pumpkin into long, vertical strips that roughly follow the natural vertical creases of the pumpkin. Discard the stem and very bottom of the pumpkin. Next, peel the strips (a mango peeler works a bit better than a potato peeler) and cut them into rectangular chunks. Then place them in a large pot with about an inch of water on the bottom, turn the heat on high and cover. Once the water is boiling, stir, reduce the heat and cook on medium, stirring occasionally until the pumpkin chunks are softened. I then use a stick (immersion) blender to puree the chunks.
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