Bring pumpkin in off the porch this season

GRANDVIEW, Wash. -- Every October, thousands of pumpkins are gutted, carved, filled with candles and left to rot on the front porch.

It's a pretty sad fate for a vegetable that was created to be eaten.

This year, bring pumpkins in the from the porch and let them star on the dinner table instead.

Julie Michener, co-owner of Bill's Berry Farm in Grandview, enjoys cooking with pumpkin and recently gave a demonstration on how to cook the vegetables at her family's U-pick farm.

Michener gives short presentations about cooking at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each Saturday at the farm during the fall. She draws on her years of knowledge as a mother of eight children -- ages 2 to 22 -- and trying to make the grocery budget stretch and dinner still appetizing.

"This year because of the economy, I'm doing it all on food preserving and using your harvest all year long," she said. "I try to teach people something new every week on how to preserve the harvest."

The first thing to know is that not all pumpkins are edible -- and it may not be the ones you think.

"All these little novelties are edible," Michener said, referring to the small, colorful pumpkins usually used in decorating. But you don't want to eat ones from craft stores or that have been waxed. Pumpkins naturally have a dull skin, a shiny skin means it either isn't ripe or was waxed for display, Michener said.

It's the big carving pumpkins that you don't want to eat, she said. Pumpkins grown for use as a jack-o-lantern have large, hollow cavities and tend to have stringy flesh.

Instead, look for smaller heirloom varieties or sugar and pie pumpkins, she said. When cooking or baking with pumpkins -- which are a member of the squash family and have a similar taste and texture -- select one that feels heavy for its size, that means it has a lot of flesh, Michener said.

After selecting a pumpkin and checking for cracks or mold, cooking it is simple: Slice it in half, scoop out all the seeds and strings until the inside flesh is smooth, and place cutside down in a microwave-safe dish with about an inch of water. Microwave on high for 15 to 30 minutes, checking every 15 minutes, until pumpkin is soft. When pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop the soft flesh away from the skin.

Put the pumpkin flesh in a blender or beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Cooked pumpkin can be stored in the freezer for up to 16 months, Michener said.

The pureed pumpkin can be used in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin or substituted for other types of squash in savory dishes, Michener said.

Pureed pumpkin also makes great, natural baby food.

"Babies love fresh pumpkin," she said. "It's so much better than store pumpkin. It's so much more flavorful."

Michelle Mikesell of Kennewick was among the visitors to the farm on Oct. 8 who watched the pumpkin presentation. She was inspired to try to make a fresh pumpkin pie this holiday season, but wasn't sure if her 6-month-old, Lauren, would like the baby food.

"I'm going to do some sweet potatoes first," Mikesell said, "See how that goes."

You can also cook the smaller, decorative pumpkins to make individual desserts.

The easiest way is to slice off the top and scrape out the seeds. Fill pumpkin with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Put the pumpkin's lid back on, place in a roasting pan with a little bit of water in it and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until tender. Alternatively, cook on high in microwave for 10 to 15 minutes.

Hollowed-out, cooked miniature pumpkins can also be used as serving bowls for savory soups, Michener said.

Michener's class for this Saturday is on apple butter and apple cider syrup.

Pumpkin Pie Squares

This recipe is great for people who love pumpkin pie, "but don't like to mess with crust," Michener said.

Crust:

1 c. flour

1/2 c. oatmeal

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

Mix dry ingredients together and cut in butter. Press into 9x13 pan and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling:

2 c. pumpkin

12 ounces evaporated milk

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. gingertsp. ground cloves

Mix ingredients well with beater. Pour over baked crust and bake 20 minutes more at 350 degrees.

Topping:

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp. butter

Mix together and sprinkle over pie. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes or until set. Let cool and serve with whipped cream.

Double Quick Pumpkin Bars

1 c. vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

2 c. pumpkin

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

21/2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. flour

1/2 c. raisins or walnuts (optional)

Cream together oil, eggs and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into greased jellyroll pan and bake 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and frost.

Frosting:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

6 tbsp. butter, softened

1 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar

Combine ingredients and blend until creamy.

Miniature Pumpkin Bowls

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange pumpkins on a baking sheet, one for each guest. Roast 30 to 35 minutes or until tender. Allow pumpkins to cool slightly, then slice the top quarter off the pumpkin. Scoop out seeds and a little bit of the soft pulp from inside the pumpkin, leaving about 1-inch of flesh on the inside.

Fill with your favorite soup when ready to serve.

* Savannah Tranchell can be reached at 509-577-7752 or stranchell@yakimaherald.com.