Cooking with Pumpkins
People often ask how to use the rest of the pumpkin after they carve their jack-o-lanterns. If you want to cook your pumpkin to make puree, select a pumpkin labeled for cooking instead of the usual jack-o-lantern variety. You can use the other variety but it won’t be as sweet and may be watery. You’ll also want to skip the carving and just use markers to decorate the outside. Pumpkins shrivel up and start to mold after they are cut.
If you want to carve your pumpkin, you can dry and roast the seeds which are two different procedures according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP), with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service.
To dry pumpkin seeds, carefully wash seed to remove the clinging fibrous pumpkin tissue. Seeds can be dried in a dehydrator at 115-120 F for 1 - 2 hours or in an oven on warm for 3 - 4 hours. Stir them frequently to avoid scorching.
To roast seeds, toss dried pumpkin seeds with oil and/or salt and roast in a preheated oven at 250oF for 10 - 15 minutes.
Nutrient analysis per serving (1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, if using 2 cups pumpkin seeds, dried, 1 tablespoon canola oil and 1 teaspoon table salt): 202 calories, 8 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrate, 18 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 297 milligrams sodium. Exchanges: 1 meat, 3 1/2 fat.
Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation at University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service
Pumpkins are considered a “superfood and have health benefits.
Pumpkin is fairly inexpensive, easy to use, high in fiber, but low in calories – containing 3 grams of fiber and 49 calories in one cup. The pumpkin’s color is indicative of its stockpile of beta carotene. Research now indicates that beta carotene may:
- reduce the risk of cancer,
- heart disease
- and protect against diseases of aging like cataracts and macular degeneration.
Cooking pumpkins may help to release the beta carotene and help you body to absorb it. Hopefully, this makes eating that slice of pumpkin pie a little sweeter. Try using non fat milk products and ginger snaps for the crust to reduce the calories.
Source: Indiana University School of Medicine and University of Illinois Cooperative Extension