Pumpkin paraphernalia

“Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin”. – Simone Schawrz-Bart

The origin of pumpkins is not definitively known, however it is thought that they were first found in North America. The word pumpkin originates from the ancient Greek word πέπων meaning “large melon.” Language evolution transformed this word by way of the French usage of “pompon”, altered then to the British “pumpion”, and later American colonists modified this further to the word we all use today to describe those orange-shelled gourd-like squashes filled with pulp and seeds.

My first dealings with a pumpkin arose during my childhood. I read with utter amazement how the fairy Godmother could change a plain old pumpkin into a sparkling precious carriage for poor Cinderella. I can also state that I felt outraged as I wondered why on earth such a being had never appeared to me in a puff of smoke before, and why I did not ever encounter talking mice friends.

My father severely dislikes pumpkins. He actually has an objection to anything related to any American commercial holiday. Being from Ireland, what a potato or a turnip is to him, a pumpkin is to an American. Needless to say, pumpkin carving is a covert operation in our family home. These snippets of personal background information are neither here nor there, but it provides a minor insight to my fascination towards the carrot-coloured orb of many uses.

Pumpkins are cultivated for a variety of uses ranging from commercial and ornamental sales to agricultural purpose. Most of the pumpkin can be eaten: the most common parts being the fleshy pulp, the flowers and the seeds: otherwise known as “pepitas”. In Italy, the flowers are covered in batter and fried as an appetizer, in China, the leaves and innards are used to make soup, and in America, it wouldn’t be amiss to find pumpkin pie on the dessert menu from September through November. Antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties are only some of the medicinal values contained in this oddly shaped squash.

All Hallows eve is often referred to as a sarcastic festival that reflects children’s infernal demand for revenge on the adult world. Traditionally, children put on fancy dress and go from door to door asking for sugary delights, to which if you refuse, a prank will be performed on you or your house. I have absolutely no idea why anyone would be sadistic enough choose the former of the outcry: “TRICK OR TREAT”. Although I have never once been trick or treating – my family home being in the middle of the English countryside, our nearest neighbour is the cow 2 fields away - this whole affair is very dear to my heart.

My sister and her boyfriend have a yearly tradition of pumpkin picking in Pennsylvania. I was privileged enough to accompany them last year on what was a truly soul nourishing experience, as I tend to set autumn up for a fall.

I, personally, am devoted to dressing up each year and carving out a pumpkin into the most silly if not original design possible. The carving of pumpkins springs from the souling practice of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls held in purgatory. Nowadays, this custom is essentially associated with social entertainment during the thanksgiving and harvest season. A candlelit Jack-o’-lantern is now the emblem of Hallowe’en and is still used to ward off demons and evil spirits.

As I type, it has come to my attention that my nails are bedazzled with pumpkin inspired nail varnish and the room is filled with the warm scent of a pumpkin spice candle. In a couple of minutes I shall be sipping gleefully on pumpkin ale, which is brewed with actual pumpkin purée. I may or may not have taken this season to the extreme. I would have to plead the latter as I still have not tasted my very first slice of pumpkin pie.

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion”. – Henry David Thoreau