The "Pumpkin...The Fruit For Many Seasons & Reasons!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading the words to the English language nursery rhyme, "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater."  Goes like this:

Peter, Peter,

pumpkin-eater,

Had a wife, and

couldn't keep her;

He put her in a

pumpkin-shell,

And there he

kept her very well.

Old time Nursery Rhyme

I remember this nursery rhyme from my youth and back then didn't understand it.  Still was fun to say so I never inquired as to what it might have meant.  Well, I'm still not sure exactly what it means, or if young children should be exposed to it.  Seems there are many different interpretations to the nursery rhyme with one interpretation stating that Peter had a wife who was very sexually active, and he couldn't keep her from running off.  He decided to do the unthinkable and murdered her, and he then stuffed her body into a pumpkin.  And, it is there that he kept her very well.  Tough to believe, since he must have had a pretty large pumpkin to accomplish that feat.  And, can this really be the meaning of the nursery rhyme or some sick person's idea of a joke?  Anyway, my story today is more about pumpkins and less about sex and murder.  Seems that we are very close to end of the prime pumpkin picking season and as you drive around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania you will find numerous roadside stands that are inundated with the orange squashes.  Many think of pumpkins as a vegetable, but both the decorative stars of the season as well as the best ingredient in a fall-flavored, best-ever pumpkin pie, is indeed a fruit.  

A pumpkin stand in Lancaster Amish country.

A friend of mine, Jim Erb, whom I had as a student and whom returned to the same school to teach alongside me, now has one of those stands along SR501 that has hundreds of pumpkins of both the decorative and cooking varieties.  Pumpkin pie is one of my favorites and the pumpkin pie that is sold at Costco is perhaps the best you will ever eat.  

Piece of Costco pumpkin pie.

That is unless you try my wife's pumpkin pie.  Oh yeah, she also makes a mean pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies with caramel icing.  So when did the American colonies begin to make items with pumpkins.  Seems that settlers thought of the pumpkin as a food of last resort.  When there was no wheat for bread or yeast for beer they'd turn to the pumpkin.  As pumpkins were first looked upon as a food, they soon became associated with people whom were looked down upon in society in general.  "Pumpkin eater" or "pumpkin roller" was a derogatory term for a poor, ignorant farmer.  But, during the Civil War, pumpkin became a weightier symbol.  In the 20th century the pumpkin gained the favor by helping farmers.  With the growth of the automobile industry people from the large cities could drive to the countryside on weekends where farmers could draw them to their fruit and vegetable stands.  And in the fall season of the year, the pumpkin was king!  Pick-your-own pumpkin patches were and still are a favorite today.  The past few weeks saw Jim's stand filled with many cars.  He even had a wagon to transport people to his pumpkin patch so they could pick their own.  Many of the pumpkins can grow to a gargantuan size with one pumpkin last year reading 2,032 pounds grown by a farmer in Napa, California.  There is even a book called "How to Grow World-Class Pumpkins," by Don Landevin which was written in 1993.  So, why would anyone want to grow a pumpkin that large?  Maybe to enter it in one of the many contests for pumpkin growers or...maybe as a place to keep a wife after she had just been murdered!  Just saying!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

PS - While on a recent vacation to the island of Antigua, the resort where we stayed had a few items on its menu that were made of pumpkin.  Rather tasty and were a bit different.  Check out the photographs that follow...

Pumpkin Choker

Pumpkin Fritters

Pumpkin Soup

The "A Fruit For Any Time Of The Day" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The start of peach season!  My two favorite seasons are strawberry season and peach season.  During this past spring, when strawberries were plentiful, I made quite a few shortcakes which I ate with fresh strawberries for breakfast, lunch and as a snack in the evening.  This year the season was too short, since an over abundance of rain limited the season to a bit over a month and way too short for me.  Well, this morning I took a large dish and chopped up a large butter rum muffin into it and popped it in the microwave for a minute.  

Muffin broken into pieces, heated and waiting for my peach.

On top of the warm muffin I cut up a large peach, sprinkled a bit of sugar over it and poured milk on top of all of that.  Breakfast!  At lunch I had a sandwich and a bowl of vanilla ice cream with another peach on it sprinkled with a bit of sugar.  As I sit writing this story, the clock is reading 9:20 pm and I'm having another bowl of vanilla ice cream with one more peach on it.  

Great meal for anytime of the day.

Hey, it's peach season!  It doesn't last forever so you have to indulge when you can.  Now, if you don't like peaches, perhaps you've never had a fresh peach taken directly from the tree when it was just about ripe.  Peaches make a delicious and healthy snack which is low in calories, high in fiber, packed with nutrients and with a low glycemic load on top of all that. I will admit that the extra bit of sugar I apply to my peaches doesn't do me any good, but it adds just that extra-sweet touch I love with my peaches.  

Peach facts for you!
Click to enlarge.

I have been buying a half-peck of locally grown peaches for years and years from our neighborhood independent food store known as Stauffers.  The half-peck wooden bucket holds about 8-9 large freestone peaches which are not quite ripe when I first get them home.  I pop them in a brown paper grocery bag with the stem end down and just a little space between them and wait two days for them to ripen.  There are a few guidelines to follow when picking peaches.  Check out the color of the skin around the stem and make sure it isn't green.   Yellow peaches should have a golden tint while white peaches should have a creamy tint.  I prefer yellow peaches, but if none are available, I can eat the white peaches.  The peach should have a rich, peachy smell, but many times the peaches I purchase are almost ripe and have very little smell.  I usually pick one peach from the basket, place my hand around it and gently squeeze.  If it is hard as a rock, it was picked way too early.  If it's mushy put it back and try another basket.  I like the peach to have just a slight give so I know it will ripen in a few days.  I have read that a good way to remove the skin is to blanch it in boiling water for 1 minute and then plunge it in cold water.  The skin should slip off easily.  I usually just take a sharp knife and peel the skin.  Once you cut the peach, don't let it set to long before you eat it or it will start to darken in color.  I do have other fruits I enjoy besides strawberries and peaches, but they are my favorites.  I'm sure many of you have your favorites and perhaps some of you like the fruits I enjoy.  I must admit while on vacation in the Caribbean I do enjoy a mango or even a fresh pineapple.  And, they are all good for you!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "It's Apple Season!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just got finished with looking for a pumpkin and now it's time to pick some apples.  When the leaves begin to turn fall colors you know it is time to begin picking.  In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania there are quite a few orchards with pick-yourself options.  

Great time of year for picking apples.

Take the family along and see how much fun you may have spending the day picking apples. A few orchards that are in Lancaster have names such as Cherry Hill Orchards, Weaver's Orchard, Flinchbaugh's Orchard & Farm Market, Brecknock Orchard, Kauffman's Fruit Farm & Market and the Masonic Village Farm Market & Orchard.  This year's supply of apples seems to be exceptionally good this year, since there was plenty of moisture this summer in Lancaster County which helped the apples grow larger.  Most orchards allow picking Monday thru Saturdays and 9:00 am until late afternoon.  Some of the varieties available for picking this time of year are the Fuji, Cameo, Idared, Pink Lady, Stayman and Granny Smith.  Most all are great for snacking, baking and cooking.  The Fuji has a very sweet flavor and is juicy.  The Cameo has a sweet-tart flavor with hints of honey and citrus.  The Idared has a mild flavor with a hint of spice.  The Pink Lady is effervescent with a crunchy bite.  It tends to have a thicker skin than other apples.  The Granny Smith has a mouth-puckering tart flavor and was the choice of my mom and wife for use in making apple dumplings and applesauce.  In both my childhood household and my grown household apple dumplings constitute a meal in itself.  

Nice warm apple dumpling with milk...or ice cream is great.

Warm apple dumpling with cold milk and a spoonful of sugar is a great meal.  Usually can eat two or three apple dumplings depending on their size.  There are quite a few other varieties of apples, but the varieties I have mentioned are the apples that come into season during this month.  Maybe you can make a trip to pick a basket of apples as well as find your perfect pumpkin.  Enjoy both!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.