news-record.com

This morning while you’re finishing your coffee and munching on the Reese’s filched from your child’s trick-or-treat bag, you may be contemplating hauling the jack-o’-lantern to the compost pile.

Before you toss it, have you ever stopped to wonder why we carve pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns?

Jack-o’-lanterns were first made by the Irish from turnips, not pumpkins. The fable goes that a wicked Irishman named Stingy Jack trapped the devil in an apple tree surrounded by crosses. The devil promised he wouldn’t take Stingy Jack’s soul when he died if Jack removed the crosses and let the devil down from the tree.

When Jack passed on, Saint Peter wouldn’t allow the evil man into heaven. The devil kept his word and wouldn’t allow him into hell. Jack was lost in the darkness between the two places, so the devil tossed him an ember from the fires below. Jack put the burning coal in a hollowed-out turnip, a favorite food that he always kept in his pockets. Stingy Jack passed eternity wandering through the netherworld with his lighted turnip.

The Irish used lighted turnips on All Hallows’ Eve to ward off evil spirits until they came to America and discovered that pumpkins were a lot easier to carve.

After that, the pumpkin went from being food to decoration. Now 80 percent of all pumpkins sold in this country are sold during October. I would venture to say that most of those are not eaten. Nearly every recipe I’ve ever seen for anything pumpkin starts with a 16-ounce can.

But for thousands of years, pumpkins were a staple food in the diet of Central and Native Americans. Seeds found in Mexico from related plants date back to 7000 B.C. Pumpkins are now grown on every continent except Antarctica.

When the pilgrims arrived in the New World, Native Americans introduced them to pumpkins. The first “pumpkin pies” were baked, hollowed-out pumpkins filled with milk, honey and spices.

It is widely believed that pumpkins were present at the first Thanksgiving, and they remain a vital part of that celebration today because they are harvested in the fall and keep well into winter.

Since I’ve been trying to eat more healthfully, it has occurred to me that vegetables eaten in season may protect us from illnesses common in that season. I haven’t found any hard research to back up my theory, but I have read that pumpkins and winter squash have anti-inflammatory properties and boost the immune system.

Pumpkins are a member of the squash family. Although they don’t eliminate freckles or cure snake bites, as once thought, they do provide many other benefits. They contain large amounts of beta carotene, which is thought to ward off cancer and reduce heart disease. They also are high in Vitamins A, C, B1, B3, B5, B6, potassium, manganese, folate, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.

Of course, a smiling jack-o’-lantern on your front porch or in your compost pile doesn’t improve your health. You actually have to eat it.

To use a fresh pumpkin, choose a ripe, firm, medium-size pumpkin. Remove the seeds and strings. Set the seeds aside for roasting. Cut the fruit into four or more pieces and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour on a pan lined with foil. Remove cooked pulp from the rind by scrapping with a spoon and blend it well. If desired, squeeze out excess water using cheesecloth. Now, you’re ready to make everything from muffins to ravioli, even flour and beer.

Although pumpkins are fun to carve and look beautiful on hay bales flanked by mums, you might try picking one up and cooking it. I’m betting you’ll find a good sale on pumpkins today. 

Joni Carter lives in the Bethany community. Contact her at jonicarter@gmail.com