Please eat your pumpkins responsibly | A Month of Pumpkin Guest Post

Every fall the majority of our population seems to forget that pumpkins are indeed a food whose shell is not a
16oz aluminum can.

Cooking the pumpkins you see at the grocery store or pumpkin patch is actually easier and faster than
carving it up into a decoration for your front door. Yes-please decorate with them but also keep in mind that
as the season wears on that you can take that pumpkin and turn it into an extremely healthy meal. And I am
not just talking about pies and breads and muffins.

My favorite pumpkin recipe is actually a savory dish. I found this Pumpkin Cider Stew a few years ago from
Better Homes and Garden and it always leaves my guest wanting more.

I love the taste and texture of the mini pumpkins in the stew. The shells become very tender and adds so
much flavor. The recipe gives you lots of options and substitutions. I used both mini pumpkins and pumpkin
puree (frozen in my fridge from last year’s pumpkins I had put up NOT FROM A CAN- read here to find out how to cook your pumpkin in your oven). The puree helps give the beef stock the thicker stew quality while the mini pumpkins are cute and unexpected.

Everyone was surprised that I was actually cooking the mini pumpkins and that they were to eat them. This
was when I once more stepped on to my pumpkin soapbox and professed the amazingness of this food. If
you decorate with your food, make sure you eat it before it rots!

Both parsnips and carrots are my choice for aesthetics as well as taste. The fennel seeds give the stew a
very aromatic sense while the apple cider and cider vinegar perk up the stew with that tangy sweetness.

I love this recipe because its a tasty variation to the typical beef stew. It’s special for this time of the season
when you wonder what in the world can I cook with all of these pumpkins I have laying around.