There is a nip in the air, the leaves are dressed for fall in hues of red and orange, and evening’s twilight arrives earlier each day — it is definitely sweater weather, and fall is in full swing. Pumpkins are a definite part of autumn, and are featuring some fun pumpkin facts* along with a variety of pumpkin-based recipes to try out this fall in today’s blog post.
Fun Pumpkin Facts
Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
Pumpkin flowers are edible.
The tradition of carving pumpkins originated in Ireland. The Irish would carve jack-o-lanterns out of turnips to scare away evil spirits during the Celtic holiday Samhain, the night when spirits of the dead would walk the earth. Today we carve pumpkins instead of turnips.
The name pumpkin originated from "pepon" – the Greek word for "large melon."
Colonists sliced off pumpkin tops; removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin Inspired Recipes
Serve it in a bowl, made of bread or otherwise, or even in a pumpkin shell, but however you serve it, pumpkin soup can really hit the spot. Try one of these recipes from “Recipe Roundup” — 10 Ways to Make Pumpkin Soup.
Pumpkin Seeds — with a dozen recipes popping up in just one search, Allrecipes.com has got you covered for this tasty treat, featuring recipes from savory to sweet.
Pumpkin Pie Cream Puffs from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
For a light dessert at your next dinner party, try making these pumpkin pie cream puffs. These cream puffs are bite-sized and a great finish to any meal. These pumpkin cream puffs are filled with maple whipped cream and pumpkin pie filling — an amazing burst of fall flavor.
Of course, a blog featuring pumpkin-based recipes wouldn’t be complete without a pumpkin spice latte recipe included. We like this one from Taste of Home: Pumpkin Pie Latte.
Please feel free to share your favorite pumpkin recipe in the comments, and thanks for reading today’s blog post.
*Pumpkin facts are from the University of Illinois EXtension office.