Pumpkins and Apples: The Flavor of Autumn

    The harvest of apples and pumpkins set the tone for fall and the holiday season that follows.  Not only do these autumn fruits taste good, but their attractive appearance makes them ideal for decorating.  Soon the roadside pumpkin stands will start popping up, and the fruit stand will be offering fresh apples, especially honeycrisp apples which are in season this month.

    Apples and pumpkins have little in common, other than their shared nutritional value and harvest time.  Goodlooking apples are usually as good to eat or cook.  On the other hand, pumpkins that look good and make nice jack-o-lanterns are not the best for pies and desserts.

   There are many varieties of pumpkin including: Cucurbite Moschata, Cucurbite Pepo, and Cucurbite Maxima.  Cucurbite Moschata are commonly canned.  Cucurbite Pepo, are the smaller variety, from 2-10 pounds, and are also known as "sugar-pie" pumpkins because of a flavorful flesh.  Cinderella pumpkins are big and have a red flesh.  They are great for soups and pies.  Cucurbite Maxima are, in fact, the biggest pumpkins.  You don't particularly want to eat these beasts because they aren't very flavorful.

    One of the best ways to get the flesh out of a pumpkin is to cut the top open, then scrape the seeds and stringy parts out.  Replace the top, and place the pumpkin in a 350 degree oven.  Don't worry if the shell is slightly scorched.

    After about an hour and a half of baking, the flesh can be spooned out of the shell and blended into a puree.  The rule of thumb is that a pumpkon will produce about a cup of puree for every pound of weight. 

    An often overlooked pumpkin treat is the seeds.  Save a few for planting in the backyard with the kids.  The seeds also make a great snack.  Just wash, salt lightly, and toast on a cookie sheet in the oven.

    Farmers' markets, road-side stands and even orchards are good places to buy apples.  These tend to be much cheaper per pound than grocery stores.  Take some time off and gather up the family for a trip to your local orchards, baskets in hand, for a day of family fun.

    Many apple varieties keep well when stored in a cool place.  They can be refrigerated, but take precautions to avoid dehydration  One method is to place the apples in a sealed plastic bag with a damp paper towel.

    More than 7,500 varieties of apples are grown worldwide, but only a handful are grown widely in the United States.  The Red Delicious, a crisp, sweet, and juicy apple, is a very popular choice , along with the Golden Delicious, which has a mellow flavor and is good for snacking or cooking.  The Granny Smith apple is another favorite for its tart, tangy flavor.

    A medium apple has less than 1 gram of fat, no sodium, 160 mg of potassium, and four grams of fiber.

    Lace up your shoes and visit the pumpkin patch this fall, or go pick out your own personal apples.  Whip up new organic recipes or just curl up with some pumpkin soup and apple cider.  This fall, create some family fun everyone is sure to remember!

    "An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!"