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Thanksgiving celebrates pumpkins

By Judy O'Daniel
Contributor

Published November 25, 2009

Pumpkin pies will be the favorite dessert on many Thanksgiving tables this year. News reports say there may be a shortage of pumpkin next year because rainy weather has kept pumpkin harvests from taking place. We may just have to make our own pumpkin puree next year for our pies.

We always associate pumpkins with Thanksgiving and Pilgrims. Recorded history does not specifically state that they ate pumpkin in any form for their first Thanksgiving but it is documented that it was a part of the second Thanksgiving celebration.

Squanto taught the Pilgrims to plant pumpkin seeds in the spaces between corn hills. The spreading vines kept down the weeds and helped preserve moisture.

The New England settlers said tat corn, beans and pumpkins (or squash) were the “Three Sisters” for the Indians They were their three main crops and all three were dug up and planted that first spring in the New World on Cape Cod.

Not only were pumpkins a part of the Indian diet there were other uses. Strips of pumpkin were pounded flat, dried and woven into mats for trading.

They also roasted pumpkin strips over campfires and used them as a food source long before the settlers arrived. They ate the seeds and also used them as medicine. The blossoms were added to their stews and the dried pumpkin was stored and ground into flour.

The shells of the pumpkins were dried and used as bowls and containers to store grain, beans and seeds as well as using the for food and water.

With so many uses, it’s no wonder that pumpkins became a very important staple in the lives of our first settlers. Pumpkins were not only a fresh food source, but they stored well which meant the Pilgrims would have a nutritious food source during the winter months to sustain them.

Today we mostly think of pie when we think pumpkin. However, there are many other ways to enjoy the food of our forefathers. Try some of these recipes as you give thanks this week. Happy Thanksgiving.

Pheroba’s Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup dried cranberries

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (15 oz. can)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, spice, baking powder, and salt in bowl; stir to blend the dry ingredients well. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a mixing bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add cranberries and walnuts, mix thoroughly. Spoon into two greased and floured 9x5x2-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on rack.

Martin Ables’ Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup pumpkin

1 tsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup chopped nuts

Proceed with caution: Beat eggs (show no mercy) on high for 5 minutes, adding sugar while beating. Add pumpkin, lemon juice and mix. Sift remaining ingredients and fold gently but thoroughly into mixture. Spread into greased and floured 12x18x1 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn out onto towel sprinkles with powdered sugar. Roll towel and cake and lay aside to cool.

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)

6 oz. cream cheese

4 tbsp. melted butter

2 tsp. vanilla

Cream together, until a harmonious union is formed.

Unroll cake, spread filling and sprinkle chopped pecans politely on filling, very carefully roll the cake up. Wrap in waxed paper and store in freezer until firm before cutting. (This is not mandatory.)

Pumpkin Pie Dip

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

2-3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

4-5 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Soften cream cheese in microwave 45 seconds. Combine all ingredients until smooth. Serve with ginger snaps or graham cracker sticks, or use as a spread for pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin Crunch

1 16 oz. can pumpkin

1 large can evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup chopped pecans

2 sticks butter, cut in pieces

3/4 cup whipping cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 Box Yellow cake mix

Mix pumpkin, milk, sugar, cinnamon and eggs and pour in a 9x13-inch Pyrex dish. Top this with one box of yellow cake mix (sprinkle, do not mix). Sprinkle pecans on top of cake mix. Cover nuts with pieces of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Let cool completely. Beat whipping cream, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together and spread on top of cooled pie.

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