Released October 22, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Though grown and savored in the New World for thousands of years, most Americans don't think of pumpkins as much more than a potential jack o' lantern or Thanksgiving pie.
The vegetable, which has gained more respect in Europe and Asia, is experiencing something of a renaissance in the United States as foodies try to satisfy a hunger for more exotic and subtle flavors.
"Around the world, pumpkins are grown and eaten and for many things beyond jack o' lanterns," said Craig Andersen, extension horticulture specialist-vegetables, for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. "The flesh is nutritious and a good source of vitamin A and carbohydrates. Baked, steamed, roasted used in every thing from risotto to curries."
Nearly all of the pumpkin is edible
"The seeds are used as snacks, roasted and eaten. In Mexico, these are called 'pepitas,' and are also an important component of green mole (MOE-lay)," he said. "The seeds can be pressed to create a high-quality oil that can be used for cooking and salads.
"The blossoms are stuffed, used in tempura, soups, and quesadillas," Andersen said.
"Pumpkin" is a common name for four Cucurbita species that are members of the squash gourd family.
"They were a critical part of Native American agriculture known as 'the three sisters' - corn, beans and squash - and have been grown in the Americas for thousands of years, while less than 500 years in the rest of the world," he said. "In other parts of the world, they are called pumpkins, marrows, winter squash and courgettes."
Gourmands looking for the best eating varieties should seek out Lumina, Long Island Cheese and Cinderella, also known by its French name Rouge vif d'etampes.
"They're all wonderful eating - sweet and flavorful," Andersen said
"Cinderella is an old French variety that was all the rage in Paris in the 1850s," he said. "It's a low, squatty bright red to bright orange pumpkin - the one that was turned into Cinderella's coach by the good fairy. It's a wonderful eating pumpkin."
A new version of Long Island Cheese is Rumba, named after the squat round robot vacuum cleaner, whose shape the pumpkin resembles. The same goes for the Long Island Cheese, so named, not for its color or texture, but because it resembles a wheel of cheese.
"Lumina" is unique for pumpkin - a ghostly white on the outside with orange flesh, Andersen said.
Andersen professes to favoring Cinderella. "It has a real dense flesh and when you pick one, it's a real heavy pumpkin," he said. "It roasts exceptionally well. I just like them roasted - with that sweet roasted flavor."
For fans of pumpkin seeds, Andersen said there are confectionery pumpkin varieties with seeds that don't have to be shelled. These are the seeds that show up in trail mixes, candy and as pepitas for mole-making.
"Pumpkins are a great way to stretch the food dollar," he said. "They're very nutritious and store well."
A few pumpkin facts
- Once Halloween is past these squash and pumpkins will store for many weeks, keep them dry, above 55 degrees, and on cardboard, wood or straw, not concrete.
- "Lastly, if you want to grow a world record giant pumpkin, you need to beat Christy Harp of Jackson Township, Ohio, who grew a 1,725-pound pumpkin this year," Andersen said. That pumpkin was actually a Dill's Atlantic Giant Squash.
For information about growing pumpkins at home, visit http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-6074.pdf. For a profile on Dill's Atlantic Giant, see http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/plantoftheweek/articles/Dills_Atlantic_Giant_Pumpkin.htm.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/october2009/1022pumpkins.htm
Editor: Elizabeth Fortune, (501) 671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
