I love pumpkins... both the eating and the growing...
For the last few years, I almost always have my lunch in the university cafeteria...
And boiled pumpkin is always part of my selection for lunch...
The predominant nutrients in pumpkins are the lutein (which is supposedly good for the eyes) and both the alpha and beta carotene, the latter of which generates vitamin A in the body. (Source here)
The butter scotch pumpkin is quite new to me...
We first saw this pumpkin at the local farmers' market...
We liked the taste and decided to keep the seeds...
We last harvested about 4.9 kilograms of the pumpkin...
And we have been enjoying eating them, bit by bit...
This evening, my sweeto haato just wrapped a portion of one pumpkin, and placed it on top of our wood stove...
Wooh, it was really very delicious...
It does not have the chestnut-like taste as in some pumpkins...
Instead, it is very sweet, and has a 'creamy' texture, should I say?
My sweeto haato also tried making pumpkin cake...
Hmmm, just nice for my tea breaks...
And pumpkin soup...
Thick, with a little milk, and spruced up with some parsley from the garden and black pepper...
To close this post, here is a picture of the over-cooked pumpkin in one of our cooking adventures with the wood stove...
We experimented by putting two types of pumpkins (botchan and butter scotch), and two large onions into a dutch oven, and placing the dutch oven inside the wood stove as we retired for the night...
(Mr. H had wanted to see the outcome of this experiment.)
The onions and the botchan pumpkin had somewhat turned into charcoal...
The butter scotch pumpkin was a little burnt, and I ate it...
Looks like the heat was still too strong for cooking inside the wood stove...
there must be away for the dutch oven cooking in the stove to work! such a good idea! if there's that much heat...would it work on top the stove? maybe using something like a vegetable steamer thingy under the vegetables with some water...so they'd slow steam instead of burning on one side! intriguing! your blog on pumpkins follows a discussion I had about pumpkins last week with my DIL...most people I know think pumpkins serve 2 purposes, for fall decoration and to make pumpkin pies with for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. Never realizing the pumpkin is so rich in vitamins and minerals and is a very versatile vegetable that can be cooked many different ways! The "butterscotch" pumpkin sounds quite delicious!
ReplyDeleteTheanne, your comments certainly brought a smile to my 'wrinkling' face... we shall be trying out different ways to cook with the wood stove... like, wrapping the pumpkin with layers of old newspaper before putting it into the dutch oven... and yeap, the pumpkin is a very versatile veggie and very nutritious too...
DeleteLrong, your life sounds so wonderfully bucolic. I've not experimented much with pumpkin other than our usual pumpkin bread and pie...you've piqued my curiosity.
ReplyDeleteCat, thank you, for I have learned a new word today... 'bucolic', that is... life for me in this little hamlet is a continuously thrilling affair... I just adore the 'country-side-ness' of our neighborhood... and I shall be suggesting to my missus to try making the pumpkin bread, someday...
DeleteYummy. Pumpkin soup is good for health and warm us during the winter.
ReplyDeleteI'm also an "anything pumpkin" lover. Since moving to Japan I've been in pumpkin heaven! I've also enjoyed making soups and breads and pies and such. Because they are vines and take up space...I'm going to see about another area of my little backyard where I can designate a space for growing them. The pictures are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteConnie, you may wish to consider growing them 'upwards' so that they will not take up too much space...
DeleteYou may try pumpkin rice. Not bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion... sounds like an interesting try... will convey to my missus on this...
DeleteOh yum - this is making me very sad that my pumpkin crop is not to be this year - I planted them in too shady a place and ripped them out today as no fruit had set. I will get some at the farmers market though and then I think soup first - my favourite!!!!
ReplyDeleteThey do need quite a bit of sun... hope you enjoy your soup...
DeleteI love pumpkin too! But haven't had the chance to enjoy them much at home because the two boys at home don't really care much about them. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe "bothcan" pumpkin name reminded me of the novel "Botchan". :)
Yes, I think the name comes from that novel...
DeleteReally? That's interesting. :)
DeleteMust go and read the novel again. ^^
Hi Lrong, I too love pumpkin and squash-they are so very versatile and tasty. I loved your bit about the health benefits too. Now I can enjoy them and feel good at the same time!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog and will be following it with interest as it is fascinating to see someone else’s garden on the other side of the world!
Thank GD for your wonderful comments... likewise, I am equally curious about the happenings in the gardens of folks like your good-self...
DeleteVery interesting to hear the results of cooking pumpkin in the woodstove...if I try this I will remember to keep the heat down a bit. That cake looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteWe shall continue to experiment with the stove...
DeleteOlá, amigo!
ReplyDeleteEu também gosto de abóboras, principalmente doce de abóbora... muito saboroso.
Boa semana!
Beijinhos.
Brasil
✿⊱╮
¸.•°`♥✿⊱╮
Yeap, nothing beats the natural sweetness of the pumpkins...
DeleteSounds really yummy!
ReplyDeleteLynn
It was pretty yummy...
DeleteInteresting to hear about the ways of cooking pumpkins. The soup looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAs suggested by rainfield, we shall try the pumpkin rice...
DeletePumpkin is yummy vegetables! The soup look good!
ReplyDeleteInteresting way of cooking pumpkin!
Anyway I have extend you an award. Please visit my blog!
Malar... thank you so much for nominating me the award... Tanya has nominated me last December... please see this post... http://potagery.blogspot.com/2011/12/seemania-liebster-award.html
DeleteMany many thanks anyway..
your sweeto haato is so creative you make a wonderful team. The butter scotch pumpkin looks like a dense dry pumpkin. Will look for it at our local farmers' mareket. Is it a large pumpkin?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments about my missus...
DeleteThe butter scotch pumpkin we had weighed about 900 grams... not too large... it is elongated, with an enlarged bottom...
You have just reminded me that I still have quite a few Winter squash in storage at home. I must start to eat them. All those lovely vitamins and minerals will be just what I need in mid Winter.
ReplyDeleteHappy 'pumpkin-eating'...
DeleteI like pumpkin in dishes and soups but I don't know how to cook it. You are really lucky to have a good suweeto haato who can cook well. Happy Valentine's Day to both of you!
ReplyDeleteAm always thanking my lucky stars with regards to my better half... thank you for your kind words...
DeleteWe can get pumpkins quite easily and they are cheap here too, I still have a quarter in my fridge, going to make some pumpkin bread with it:D My neighbour's vines came over to my side of the garden and bored a few pumpkins! I quietly pluck one to cook and return the rest to them:D
ReplyDeletePumpkin bread... sounds lovely... you are lucky to have such a neighbor to share the pumpkins with you...
Delete