Mama Kat Thursday: Pumpkins!

-
That's today's topic: Pumpkins. Anything about pumpkins!

I love pumpkins. I love carving them and eating them! Especially as pie or bread!

We carved them as kids, so pumpkins have a heavy family-fun memory association for me.
I had 2 sisters, so that usually meant 3 carved pumpkins. Some years, our parents got in on the act and we'd have 5 glowing pumpkin faces of various expressions.
Pumpkin choosing was a fine art if we purchased them. We'd pour over the selection of large pumpkins, each choosing our own size and shape.
Sometimes we had home-grown pumpkins---though these were usually volunteers that came up on their own.
You see, living way out in the country as we did, we didn't have services like sewer lines or garbage pick-up. Nor did we have a garbage disposal. We had a slop pail, a plastic bucket sitting in the kitchen that anything wet or moist, such as melon rines, potato peels or, as in this case, pumpkin inwards went into. Then that bucket would be later emptied into a shallow gully on the edge of our property. The seeds dumped there in the fall would pop up as thriving plants the next spring, bringing forth a crop of free pumpkins the following October!My mother was also very resourceful and, once Halloween was over, she'd clean, cut-up, par-boil and can those pumpkins for later use.
Waste not, want not.
Of course, back then, the pumpkins weren't out, but a few days and were still in good condition on the inside. Just a little charcoaled by the candles.Sometimes I still enjoy carving a pumpkin. In fact, I'm thinking of getting one this year. I, too, then often re-cycle mine for eating purposes, since it will only be out one, maybe 2 days.
There's so many things you can make with pumpkin: bread, casseroles, soup. Yum!

I enjoy carving pumpkins for the art of it, though I usually just do a classic face design and it brings back so many fond family memories.
Nowadays, as you can see from the photos, it's a form of art people do for enjoyment!
So get your pumpkin out and get carving!


Comments

Jamie Miles said…
I'm so jealous. You got to carve your own pumpkins. This has been a dream of mine forever. Maybe I'll try that trick. After we carve our this year -- I'll toss the seeds in an isolated spot out back. We've had some volunteers spring up before from our carvings on the porch. But those vines always feel victim to the lawn mower.
Oct 11, 2012, 12:42:00 PM
Dionne said…
It sounds like you grew up in a wonderful, rural area and way of life. I often longed for that growing up so when I moved to Grand Junction, CO I finally found that I could have a bit of city and farm life. I am amazed at how people come up a plethora of ways to carve or decorate a pumpkin.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today...I love linky parties like Mama Kat's b/c it gives me a chance to read lots of different blogs. Like yours! Happy pumpkin carving!
Oct 11, 2012, 4:17:00 PM
May said…
There were so many of us kids that jack o'lanterns were deemed an unnecessary expense at my house growing up. I longed for one every year and drew many, many pictures of them. Your memory sounds wonderful.
Oct 11, 2012, 11:11:00 PM
kayerj said…
we usually carve the night before or the morning of Halloween. We call it the great pumpkin massacre. kaye—the road goes ever ever on
Oct 12, 2012, 9:49:00 AM
carol daniels said…
Your memory of carving pumpkins way out in the country was fun to read. I like carving pumpkins; it's the gutting that's not fun.
Oct 12, 2012, 10:27:00 PM
Adventures as a Small Town Mom said…
I love carving pumpkins too. I can't wait until my children are older and they enjoy the pastime as well.
Oct 13, 2012, 12:17:00 AM

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment!

Popular posts from this blog

Good Eating Monday: Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing!

-
Image
Now this some wicked good dressing!  I tried it for Thanksgiving this year and everyone loved it! I've been looking for just the right dressing and I may have finally found it!  It's also healthy with a tasty combo of fruit, veggies and a mix of white & whole wheat bakery breads. It will fill a  fill a 9 x 13 pan.  You can use fresh or dried herbs. I've included the measurements for both. Just remember dried seasoning is more concentrated in flavor because it is dried, so you need less of it then fresh herbs. I have fresh Parsley growing outside and this was a great use for it! I found leftover over stuffing wonderful heated up and topped with a over-easy egg for lunch!  Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Ingredients:  5 1/2 cups fresh European style or sourdough bread, white, sliced and cubed 2 1/2 cups wheat bread, whole grain sliced and cubed 1 lb ground pork or turkey ( I used Jimmy Dean's Turkey Crumbles, which was 8 oz and that worked great! ) 1 1/2
Read more

Good Eating Monday: Peach Cobbler Dump Cake!

-
Image
Yes, I tried another new Pinterest recipe and this one is a winner! The primary dictionary definition of a "Dump Cake," is an easily made cobbler in which cake mix is dumped over canned fruit or pie filling.  This recipe was pinned from Del Monte, which means it's been a recipe that's been created & tested in a corporate test kitchen. That's one benefit of all those label, can & box recipes provided by manufacturers on their product packaging. You can even buy cookbooks featuring nothing, but package & label recipes of which many are vintage. The only changes I'd suggest is add one more 15 oz can of fruit. It can be more peaches, cherry fruit cocktail, regular fruit cocktail or whatever you want. (So, I've noted 4 cans of peaches in the recipe.)   It just needs a little more volume on the fruit quantity.  And stir a teaspoon or two of cinnamon into the fruit! Otherwise, this is an excellent, quick dessert you can serve hot with v
Read more

Good Eating Monday: Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding!

-
Image
Welcome to the first week of February! It's supposed to be 31 degrees tonight, so after cleaning up the front walk beds, I went around covering various things that either are blooming, about to bloom or that have sensitive leaf buds, like my hydrangea's.  I picked all the yellow daffodils and brought them inside for a cheerful vase on my counter. For Garden Pic Wednesday this week I have an excellent photo of a pine tree flower! You didn't know pine trees flower?  Well, you'll have to stop back for a look! Today's Good Eating Recipe is a family favorite my Mother used to make often for us as kids: Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding! What Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding Looks Like This is just your basic wholesome old fashioned bread pudding made with just eggs, bread, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar & raisins! No sauces to make. Just simple bread pudding. We'd eat it hot with a little evaporated milk poured over the top.
Read more

Garden Pic Wednesday: Ajuga & Lettuce Crop

-
Image
T oday's Garden Pic is a nice January shot of some Common Ajuga draping over the edge of a large container out front & my bumper crop of lettuce Ajuga: It's a ground cover with a burgundy tinge to it's leaves. It reaches it's best color in shade, but can tolerate light sun. This Ajuga just gets morning sun. It throws runners like a strawberry does, spreading along the ground. It's reaching for the ground and will establish once it touches around the shady side of the stump the container sits on. It's a member of the mint family.  My Winter Crop of Lettuce: This is a french head lettuce I got ordered from Seed Savers for spring 2021. It went to seed in May 2021, then dozens popped up around Sept. I separated them, this whole 4 x 8 raised bed with them. I dined on fresh crisp lettuce all winter! I've left 2 to go to seed on one end of the raised bed, so can have lettuce all winter again!  I've joined a group a ladies in a Book Club that meets once a mo
Read more