Pumpkins Continue to Delight

Photo by Paul + photos = moody on Flickr

"He beheld great fields of Indian corn,

and the yellow pumpkins lying beneath them,

turning up their fair round bellies to the sun."

Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Pumpkins have reigned in our autumn cooking, long before they started to appear on our Thanksgiving tables in the form of delicious pies. An important staple in Native Americans' diets, pumpkins were roasted, boiled and stewed for different dishes in earlier times. In the Southwestern United States, pumpkin parts were found in the ancient ruins of cliff dwellers.

According to the USDA Cooperative State Research Service, pumpkins were part of these early native cultures' multiple cropping system of corn, beans and squash.  In Latin America, you can still find these food combinations enjoyed in native dishes today.

Now a symbol of Halloween, pumpkins played a particularly scary role in Washington Irving's 19th-century classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Many a child has shivered in the night thinking of that Headless Horseman and his flaming pumpkin. They never did find Ichabod Craine. Just his hat. And a shattered pumpkin.



It seems a shame that pumpkins should be considered scary after all these years.

Pumpkins certainly aren't scary to eat. Highly nutritious and delicious, pumpkins are packed with vitamin A in the form of cancer-fighting beta carotene, not to mention the B complex and C vitamins, as well as phosphorous, potassium, calcium and iron.

Plus, you can use the smaller pie-sized pumpkins in almost all the same recipes that call for winter squash. Instead of potatoes, try mashing cooked pumpkins with different toppings like feta cheese, nuts, yogurt, cinnamon, cumin or other spices for a healthy side dish.

Or, you can always make pumpkin pie ... a culinary favorite at this time of year.

As Irving described in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, "And then there were apple pies, and peach pies, and pumpkin pies; besides slices of ham and smoked beef..."

Here's a recipe for making homemade pie from a real pumpkin (not canned) from PickYourOwn.org.



To grow this warm-season plant, you'll have to wait until your last average frost date has passed next spring.  Direct seed pumpkins in full sun in rich, fertile soil with excellent drainage. The optimum soil pH level is between 6.0 to 6.5. Avoid planting pumpkins in the same spot where squashes and melons have grown over the last three years. Water close to the roots and avoid wetting the foliage, particularly in the evening.

More on growing pumpkins from North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Learn about crop rotation.

Four Facts About Christmas You Probably Didn't Know

Photo: Some favorite old Christmas decorations

Christmas may be one of America's favorite holidays, but it's rather surprising how little folks know about this day. Here are four strange facts about Christmas you probably didn't know:

Christmas was Against the Law: It's true. Christmas was declared illegal in England by Protestant extremists during the English Reformation (1640s to 1660). In other words, citizens were forbidden to sing carols, decorate their homes or prepare the traditional Christmas goose.

"… no observation shall be had of the five and twentieth day of December,

commonly called Christmas Day;

nor any solemnity used or exercised in churches

upon that day in respect thereof."
An Order of the English Parliament, December 23, 1652

Even in the American Colonies, it was a penal offense to observe Christmas in New England. The law was declared in 1659 and continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants lessened the puritanical strictness.

In Scotland, Christmas was banned for nearly 400 years ... from the 1580s until the 1950s. It wasn't until 1958 that it became an official public holiday.

Photo: A neighbor's tree during a recent snow storm

Christmas Trees Weren't Popular: The Christmas tree got off to a rocky start in the United States. German settlers had brought their rich tradition to this country, and trees were found in the Pennsylvania settlements as early as 1747; but they weren't accepted by mainstream society. Many considered Christmas trees to be dangerous pagan symbols.

The custom caught on when the English Queen Victoria was photographed with her German husband Prince Albert with a Christmas tree in the Illustrated London News in 1846.  The rest is history.

The tradition spread throughout England, Europe, Russia and the United States. By the 20th century, the Christmas tree was firmly entrenched in our nation's culture.

Meanwhile, don't let that Christmas tree end up in the landfill. Here are earth-friendly ways to recycle your Christmas Tree -- from pine-needle bath oil to creative ideas for the garden. They are from a guest post I wrote recently for  aHa! Modern Living's highly entertaining blog.

Photo: Christnas decorations found while walking my pup

Santa's Big Start: Believe it or not, but Santa Claus and Rip Van Winkle have something very important in common. Washington Irving -- the author of "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" -- introduced Santa Claus to the United States.

Irving adapted legends about a Dutch Saint Nicholas to create his best-selling 1809 Knickerbockers' History of New York. In this story, he gave the first literary description of Saint Nicholas in this country.

The legend traveled fast. Before long, the character evolved into the loveable Santa Claus we know today.

Xmas Not So Bad: Those eager to keep "Christ" in Christmas needn't worry about using "Xmas." The letter X is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ -- Xristos.

So, saying or writing Xmas is actually quite appropriate, when you think about it.

Ho ho ho... happy holidays everyone!