Tips and Recipes
for Brookfield Farm Crops

Pumpkin (cucurbita pepo)

Cultivation of the cucumber dates back 9,000 years ago to its native regions in South and Central America. Naturalized to the eastern United States, the Native American tribes in the New England area cultivated pumpkins and other squashes as staples of their diet long before the arrival of the Europeans.

Pumpkins are an important winter vegetable for the seasonal eater, providing the greatest vitamin A of all common fruit and vegetables. They are also high in iron, potassium, and phosphorus. They offer excellent nutrition as well!

Recipes:

Spicy Pumpkin Soup
1 small pumpkin
3 carrots
1/2 onion (or leek)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp honey

Peel and chop pumpkin and carrots and simmer in water till tender. Sauté onion till soft and add spices. Allow to cook for a few minutes then add mixture to the pumpkin pot. Puree the pumpkin in its water then add the milk and honey. Another option is to take leftover cooked pumpkin and fresh milk. Warm and puree them together instead of using cooking broth.

Pumpkin Pie
Cornmeal Dough or Basic Pie Dough for a 9-inch pie shell
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk or heavy cream
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the rolled out dough, prick all over with a fork, then press a piece of heavy duty foil directly into the pie shell. Bake for 6 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for about 4 more minutes, until just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin puree and eggs. Add the evaporated milk and sugar then the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Beat until the mixture is smooth.

Pour into the pie shell and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 F and continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling is almost set; a sharp knife inserted slightly off-center will come out almost clean, with traces of the custard on it. The center of the pie should not be completely firm. It is best served slightly warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you wish.

Laura's Glazed Pumpkin Ginger Bars
(from: More Recipes from the Kitchen Garden)

1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup butter, room temp.
1 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup chopped candied ginger

Glaze:
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tsps. grated orange zest
3-4 Tbsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x15" baking pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy then add brown sugar, beating until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin, beating well. Add dry ingredients, mixing until batter is smooth. Stir in nuts and candied ginger. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan.

Combine confectioners sugar with orange zest. Add orange juice gradually to confectioners sugar, adding just enough to give the proper consistency for spreading. Spread on the warm bars. When cool, cut into diamonds or squares and store covered for a day to let flavors blend before serving. Makes 4 dozen.

Storage Tips: