© By Amina Eastham-Hillier (BH.Sc Naturopathy)

We have had pumpkins galore this summer and they are still producing.

I once believed Pumpkins only came out on that cool Halloween night and with a glowing candle shimmering through the holes of its scary cut out face. I’m from England and I remember piles of pumpkins stacked up in our supermarkets for just that purpose, to scare the witches away! As my memory recalls Cinderella had a pumpkin sitting around which was later turned into a carriage but I don’t remember her chopping pumpkin up to make pumpkin soup for her ugly sisters.

So I never really wondered what was in the middle of pumpkins (the bit most Brits throw away) until I came to Australia, a wonderful cosmopolitan friendly place, where we have such a diversity of cultures.

Now I couldn't imagine life without it, I Love Pumpkin and so do my family. It is so easy to cook with; it cooks quickly, and has to be the most versatile vegetable of all. We are talking soups, dips, pies, salads, roasts, and even scones, muffins. Pumpkins can be reasonably priced at local farmers markets because they grow so well. I have been so excited since I first noticed Pumpkins seedlings in my compost. I would not let my husband near them as he wanted to dig them out and now I know he is very happy with the produce of our straggly vine. If you have an area of your garden that you don’t mind ‘letting loose’ then just throw your seeded veggies in that area and see what comes up. It’s permaculture!

Pumpkins will usually rule the roost and take over everything but if you have the space, go for it.

Nutrition of Pumpkin :

Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) are high in Zinc and Omega 3 Essential fatty acids.

Medicinal Uses : Relating to Traditional Chinese Medicine Pumpkin is excellent for relieving ‘damp’ conditions such as eczema, removing excess mucus from the lungs and bronchi in asthma, swelling and dysentery as well as aiding regulation of our blood sugar levels so particularly useful with diabetes and hypoglycaemia.

Cooked Pumpkin destroys intestinal worms, but not as effectively as pumpkin seeds (1). The medicinal components in the seeds actually 'stun' the worms so for best results it would be beneficial to follow up with a natural laxative such as flax seed oil.

(Dose - For Intestinal worms : A Small handful of seeds once or twice a day for 3 weeks).

Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) are used for motion sickness, nausea, impotency, and swollen prostate. (2). Seeds are best eaten raw as they can loose some of their medicinal qualities when cooked or roasted.

I would recommend soaking them with 1 tsp sea salt first. This will help stimulate the natural enzymes in the seeds and any other nuts. The Ancient Aztecs used to soak pumpkin seeds in brine for 7 hours, and then let them dry in the hot sun. (3) Another reason to soak dry nuts or seeds before consuming them is to increase the vitality or ‘life’ of the seed which is why sprouted seeds are so nutritious.

Sprouting Pumpkin seeds—Rinse 3 x a day and soak for 2-3 days until sprouts are 1/4 inch long.

Pumpkin is a great for a first food for babies too. It amazes me why some would buy it in a jar from the supermarket to bring home to feed their babies when it is the easiest to cook. Just steam it and mash it with some squirted breast milk.

Not to mention all the fun in the high chair. Pumpkin can be patted into all kinds of shapes and can be safely spread all over the high chair tray, round and round with tiny hands, squelched and squidged and then the best part of all, smeared across their whole face, in their ears and all through their hair. This allows parent to eat their own lunch in peace knowing their child is content.

Tip—To remove organic pumpkin stains from your brand new ‘pumpkin patch’ white dress, soak for 17 days in an environmentally friendly nappy soaker, scrubbing with stain soap and changing water regularly. Simply add the juice of 23 organic lemons then boil for 2 hours and hang out in the sun all day. Repeat this 3 times!

References

Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods, (1)Page 508, (2) Page 494,North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California

Fallon, Sally, Nourishing Traditions (3) Page 513, New Trends Publishing

PUMPKIN RECIPES

Perfect Pumpkin Soup

 1/3 pumpkin cut into 1.5 inch cubes

1 chopped onion

2 small carrots

3 cloves garlic, minced or finely cut

2 tbsp olive oil

½ teaspoon fresh finely grated ginger

Large (don’t be shy!) handful chopped fresh coriander

Few freshly cut basil leaves

¼ tsp fresh chilli

Pinch of salt, pepper and whatever else takes your fancy.

Stir-fry the onion in olive oil and few tbsp of water until slightly brown.

Add pumpkin cubes, carrots and enough water so that veggies are just covered and put lid on to boil up.

Cook for about 15 minutes or until pumpkin is soft. You can now add all the other ingredients except fresh herbs, and either mash or blend.

Just before serving, stir in fresh herbs and garnish with a piece of coriander on top.

Moderations : You can add a tin of coconut cream for a taste of Thailand or just a bit of cream for extra Mmmm.

Sweet Pumpkin Pie

 A simple and delicious sweet pumpkin dessert. Easy to make and loved by all!

ingredients:

600g diced pumpkin

6 pieces of crystallized ginger

1 egg

!/2 cup of SR Flour

2 tablespoons of honey

Dash of Cinnamon & Nutmeg

1-2 pastry sheets, puff or short crust pastry

(otherwise use your favorite short-crust pastry recipe)

1 cup of honey

200g butter

1 1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1. Steam pumpkin,  mash and add egg and flour. Mix well.

2. Add 2 tbsp honey, nutmeg and cinnamon and the crystallized ginger, roughly chopped.

3. Melt the butter, add 1 cup of honey and mix together. Stir in coconut.

4. Place you pastry sheets into a greased baking dish.                                                                                                                

( if you are using the short crust sheets, cover pastry with baking paper and add a cup of rice and bake  for five minutes.

5. Pour pumpkin mixture into dish and top with coconut and honey mixture

6. Bake in a pre-heated 180 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Yummy Pumpkin Dip

1/4 Organic Pumpkin, chopped into cubes

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

2 healthy dollops of Ricotta Cheese or other soft cream cheese

Place Pumpkin and garlic on an oiled baking tray, and drizzle with honey and olive oil.

Bake at 180 c for 20 minutes or until soft.

Allow to cool then pop into the blender or mash very well with a fork.

Blend or mix together with cumin and cream cheese.

Garnish with a fresh green herb leaf eg basil and Serve with crackers or veggie sticks.

Spelt, Pumpkin & Prune Muffins

(Makes 12 Muffins)

Ingredients

1 cup cooked mashed Pumpkin

1 1/2 cups Organic Wholemeal Spelt flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pitted prunes

2 Organic eggs, softly beaten

125g melted butter

Method

1. Steam the pumpkin, mash it up and leave to one side.

2. Sieve the spelt flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, oats and prunes and stir together.

3. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and the mashed pumpkin.

4. Fold the mixture in until just combined but do not stir too much.

5. Place in an oiled muffin tray and put in a preheated oven.

6. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until just turning brown on top at 200 c.

7. When they are ready, take a knife and ease the edges of the muffin so they lift out and leave on a cooling tray until ready to serve.

Tip—Keep the seeds and you can pop them in the oven at the same time to roast (see below)

To Roast Pumpkin Seeds - Pepitas :

Salted Pepitas —Put a handful of pumpkin seeds into a small pan of water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil and let the seeds simmer for 10 minutes. You can even cook these in your steamed pumpkin water at the same time as cooking the pumpkin. Strain onto a piece of kitchen roll to dry and then place on an oiled baking tray. Take a pastry brush or gently drizzle a little oil over the seeds. Bake at 180 c for 10 minutes.

Plain Roasted Pepitas— Seeds can be roasted with out cooking in salted water first but the boiling of them soften the hard shell so I believe will help for easier digestion.

Other Variations— Try soaking in soy sauce first or drizzle a little honey over too.

Copyright: Amina Eastham-Hillier

 (Naturopath & Nutritionist : Herbal Medicine, Nutrition, Diet Analysis, Iridology & Flower Essences)

Amina is currently unavailable for Private Consultations Australia due to a research trip in China

Available for consultations in Kunming, China

Mobile in China : +86 13619631937

Email: naturopathy@angelmothers.com

Website : www.angelmothers.com

Amina Eastham-Hillier N.D