Look at those Giant Melons... Oh my!

by Holladay Allen

Native Foods Cafe

The short and SWEET on pumpkins:

Pumpkins are funny.  The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word pepon which means “large melon.”  The word evolved through several languages to become pumpkin in English.  Pumpkins are loaded with vitamin C and fiber, and the pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, contain omega-3 fatty acids!

And pumpkins are actually fruit!  That must be why they make such good pie and cake…

 

Pumpkin Spice Cake   (16 servings)

 cake:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

 glaze:

1/8 cup maple syrup

1/8 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons almond milk

Double this recipe for extra glaze!  Sooooo good….

 directions:

 1. preheat oven to 375 F

2. mix together dry ingredients for the cake in a bowl and set aside

3. mix together oil, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and 1 cup sugar until well mixed

4. add pumpkin and dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating each, but beginning and ending with the dry ingredients

5. add vanilla extract while mixing

6. pour batter into greased 9x11

7. bake for 25 minutes

8. for glaze, mix together all three ingredients until well mixed. if you have some powdered sugar lumps, pass the glaze through a small strainer

9. when 25 minutes are up for the cake, drizzle the glaze over the top while it is still in the oven.  bake for five more minutes (if you are using extra glaze, you may need to bake longer!)

10. remove from oven and let cool

11. sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and enjoy!!!

People like to carve them into scary shapes, eat them, bake them, roast them, and well... SMASH THEM!

The largest “melon,”  ahem, pumpkin ever recorded was a whopping 1,725 pounds.  My father would purchase a giant pumpkin every year to display in his store. Below is a picture of me and three of my friends inside of one of the giant pumpkins (I am the one in the middle).

 

Pumpkins are everywhere!   Here is Chef Tanya in Serbia with the pumpkin & horseradish lady:

 

Comments

[Chef Tanya]

They put the shredded pumpkin you see here inside burek dough, which is slightly thicker than filo..OMG!
That fresh horseradish makes a mean vegan horseradish cream too.

[Denise Diaz]

Hey Chef Tanya, it's your cousin/cuisine in Chicago!!!!

A Thanksgiving memory came to me over the weekend....when you brought an actual PUMPKIN to our house to make pumpkin pie, and I had never seen that done before!

Love you - write back, I hear you are famous now.

denise