Thanksgiving is only a week away and you know what that means...tis the season to start baking! Tomorrow 573 Magazine will journey to Steelville, Missouri for the Indigenous Food and Medicine event with Colleen Smith. So today we found a very special 573 Hardcopy Archive, complete with event details and an amazing pumpkin pie recipe to share.
Happy Throwback Thursday 573 Friends! Enjoy!
The pumpkin--from the Greek word Pepon (melon)--is a food that sustained families through hard winter months in our nation’s past.
Pumpkins are a type of winter squash that was grown as part of the Three Sisters Garden (corn, beans, squash). According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters who only grow and thrive together. Native Americans would cut the pumpkin into strips and roast over a fire. Later, the Pilgrims would scoop the seeds out of these life saving veggies and poor in fresh cream, honey and eggs. The lid was placed back on and the whole pumpkin was roasted in the fire. Another early use was pumpkin beer, usually accompanied by persimmon, paw paw fruit, and wild hops.
And still today, what a perfect food to eat during the winter months!
This amazing edible can be stored for longer than six months without refrigeration. Washing with vinegar can help kill any bacteria that could be on the skin of the pumpkin and cause early decay. If you don’t have a root cellar, any cool place that won’t freeze will do for storing your pumpkin. The small pumpkins are choice for pies, but the large pumpkins are good, too. The large pumpkins just have a different texture, more like spaghetti squash.
Pumpkins are good for you, too. Compared to summer squash, winter squash has more carbohydrates, sugar, and Vitamin A. Pumpkin can relieve dysentery, eczema, and edema. The meat of the pumpkin helps with mucus discharge of the lungs, bronchi, and throat.
...promotes regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells.
Cooked pumpkin destroys intestinal worms, but the pumpkin seeds are more effective. Also, research done at East China Normal University shows that there are chemical compounds found in pumpkin that promotes regeneration of damaged pancreatic cells. This is proven to increase blood stream insulin levels. A pumpkin extract may be the perfect medicine for pre-diabetics and hypoglycemics.
And, pumpkin seed oil contains essential fatty acids (omega 3s) that help keep blood vessels, nerves, and tissues healthy. Pumpkin seed oil or a regular intake of seeds can also help with prostate issues. The seed has been used as a natural diuretic. In order to be effective, a person must consume one to two ounces a day. Pumpkin seed and it’s oil can be purchased at most health food stores.
...seems to be what our bodies need.
Let your taste buds experience the fall flavor!
I might be taking advantage of the after-Halloween sales and stock up on pumpkin delight. There are so many advantages to eating in-season foods. There must be some connection with the fact that winter storage crops can last through winter months, and it seems to be what our bodies need. Can having the technology of a refrigerator be leading us to make exotic choices that devastate the natural seasonal eating flow? Let your taste buds experience the fall flavor! Your insides will thank you with good health. Smile, and stock up with pumpkin and other winter storage crops.
REAL PUMPKIN PIE
Cut a small pie pumpkin in half, then carve out all the seeds and pulp. Coat the skin with oil and bake on 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until tender. Let cool.
Cut off pumpkin skin. Puree meat in a food processor along with the following ingredients:
1 cup cream
½- 1 cup honey or maple syrup
4 farm fresh eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp clove powder
A dash of salt
Pour in a pie shell or go crustless. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until firm. Let cool before serving.
Enjoy!
Original story by Colleen Smith
Want to know more about preparing and using indigenous foods? Be sure to check out the 573 Events Calendar for more details on Indigenous Foods and Medicine with Colleen on Friday, November 19th!
And be on the lookout next week for an update on this 573 Hardcopy Archive's guest chef, author, and model...Colleen Smith. Who knows, we might even share another one of her amazing Ozark recipes!
Until Then 573, be happy, be healthy, be well!
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