ZeBot and I have made a discovery of DooFian importance! You know those orange spheres that are piling up in farmers’ markets and grocery stores? They’re pumpkins! Okay, you probably already knew this, but pumpkins are totally new to ZeBot and me because they don’t exist on Planet DooF.
This is the official DooF pumpkin truck! Can you guess Y?
We figure the best way to find out about something you never knew existed is to do a little detective work. Our favorite farmers, food historians and librarians were happy to help out.
Baby pumpkins come in all sorts of super-cool colors!
You might think from their bright orange color that pumpkins give you tons of energy — and you’d be right! They’re loaded with natural sweetness and awesome nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds are packed with good-for-you stuff like protein, B vitamins, iron and vitamin E.
The kind of pumpkins that are best for eating are known as “sugar pumpkins” (they taste super-sweet). Farmers also grow special pumpkins that are great for carving, which are called “jack-o’-lantern pumpkins.” We learned all about pumpkins (including how to grow them) from our friend Farmer Susie at Potrero Nuevo Farm.
ZeBot gets really pumped up by the pumpkins at Potrero Nuevo Farm!
Humans are pretty smart – they’ve been growing and eating pumpkins for thousands of years. They’re native to Central America, but have been grown in North America for centuries (archaeologists have found bits of pumpkin in ancient cliff dwellings in the American Southwest).
Native Americans made use of the pumpkin harvest in all sorts of cool ways – from drying pumpkin strips for weaving into mats to roasting pumpkins for food.
I don’t think Native Americans ever did THIS with a pumpkin (carved by our buddy Melanie Miller)
When the pilgrims arrived in New England in 1620, Native Americans shared their pumpkin knowledge with their new friends. They taught settlers how to make what would eventually become pumpkin pie – and a Thanksgiving favorite!
Here’s what they did: pilgrims cut the top off the pumpkin, removed the seeds and filled the hollow inside with milk, spices and honey. They put the lid back on the pumpkin and roasted it in the embers of a dying fire. This created sweet, spicy pumpkiny goodness that later became the filling for today’s pumpkin pie.
My friend Melanie says Halloween witches put spiders in pumpkin pie: would YOU do it?
Don’t like spiders in your desserts? Lauren & Sarah don’t either: check out their home-baked pumpkin pie!
Pumpkins’ name comes from the Greek word “pepon,” which means a large melon. The English word was “pompion” until about 1640, when people decided “pumpkins” sounded like more fun.
ZeBot and I think so too, so we decided to learn even more about pumpkins at a super-fun festival in Half Moon Bay, California — the Pumpkin Capital of the World.
Legendary pumpkin carver Farmer Mike gets creative with pumpkins in a BIG way at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival!
Our friend Linda Lebedowicz of woodkins.com makes pumpkins and their veggie friends come to life!
We’ve learned a LOT about pumpkins from our friend Julianne!
ZeBot goes for a ride through the Farmer’s Daughter Pumpkin Patch in Moss Beach, CA
Dogs love pumpkins, too — just ask Rover and Spot Miller!
Hungry for pumpkins? Here’s a colonial rhyme: “We have pumpkin at morning and pumpkin at noon. If it were not for pumpkin, we should be undoon!”
If you feel the same way, try the Pumpkin Power Porridge from my Planet Earth buddy Jennifer Wickes (recipe below).
Want it at noon? Instead of having chips with your lunch, try some roasted pumpkin seeds. You’ll find an easy recipe from Chow Bella Kids just underneath the porridge recipe.
This should give you more than enough fun fuel for a happy and healthy fall!
Pumpkin Power Porridge! (Flikr photo by rock_rollheart)
Recipe: Pumpkin Power Porridge
As you can see, this recipe makes enough to power up your whole family. If you just want a bit of pumpkin power for your own breakfast, a super-quick and easy option is to stir about 1/4 cup pumpkin puree and a little brown sugar and cinnamon into a bowl of cooked oatmeal.
What you need:
1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked (ask an adult for help)
1 1/2 cups Steel Cut Oats, cooked (ask an adult for help)
3/4 cup soy milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 cup walnuts, optional
1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional
What you do:
Mix all ingredients thoroughly together and serve.
If you like hot cereal: mix the ingredients, heat gently on the stove (ask an adult for help with this) and enjoy!
Makes 6 servings
Pumpkins give you some of the yummiest, crunchiest protein on the planet!
Recipe: Yummy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
What you need:
Seeds from 1 large pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
What you do:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Scoop the seeds out of your pumpkin, then rinse off the slippery pulp.
Toss with olive oil and salt.
Spread the seeds evenly on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake until dry and crispy – about 45 minutes.
Crunch!
Looking for more Halloween fun? Check these out:
Halloween Magic at the Witches’ House
If you’re hungry for info about Planet DooF and ZeBot‘s Planet Earth mission with Y-SpaceAlien, just click here. And stay tuned for more adventures — see you soon!
Intergalactic © 2012 Laura Martin Bacon
