Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A and potassium. One-half cup of cooked pumpkin provides more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A. One cup of cooked pumpkin has only 81 calories. It's low in fat and sodium, too.
When you pick a pumpkin at the market, make sure:
 | It's not nicked, bruised or cut. |
| It's firm, with no soft spots. |
| It has good color. Some varieties won't be typically orange. If the pumpkin was picked too early and is still a little green, leave it in a dark room and the green will fade. If you pick your own, pick a bright orange one. |
| It has a one- to two-inch stem. That stem keeps the pumpkin from rotting from the top, say University of Georgia Extension Service experts. |
Pumpkins are full of sugar, and some rot organisms like sugar. Pulling off the stem gives a place for the rot to start. You can tell if the rot has already started by looking for wet or soft spots on the pumpkin.
When you scoop out the seeds from your pumpkin, don't throw them away. They make a tasty snack, say nutritionists with the University of Georgia Extension Service.
Just separate the seeds from the pumpkin flesh and strings. Wash them well and spread them on paper towels to dry.
To roast them, spread the seeds evenly over a cookie sheet and heat them in a 375-degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Dot seeds with butter or margarine, and raise the oven temperature to 400. Brown the seeds for five to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot or cold.
For milder flavor, simmer the cleaned seeds for about an hour in salted water and fry in deep oil. Or mix a tablespoon of oil or margarine to each cup of nuts and roast them at 250 degrees for 30-40 minutes until they're golden. Sprinkle them with salt.
Plan on about one cup of cooked pumpkin from each uncooked pound, say University of Georgia Extension Service nutritionists.
Store cooked pumpkin in the refrigerator for two to three days. Or freeze it for later use. Canning mashed pumpkin isn't recommended, but cubed pumpkin may be canned.
Your county extension agent can tell you more about canning or freezing pumpkin.
A nutritious way to eat your daily vitamin A is pumpkin soup. One cup has more than the daily recommended daily allowance for vitamin A, say nutritionists with the University of Georgia Extension Service.
Here's the recipe:
Use 1/2 cup sliced green onion, 3 tablespoons melted butter/margarine, 2 cups mashed cooked pumpkin, 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) chicken broth, 1 small tomato, peeled, chopped, 1/2 teaspoon salt, dash of pepper, 1 cup half-and-half.
Saute onion in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients except half-and-half. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place mixture in blender. Process until smooth. Add half-and-half, and heat through. Serve warm. Makes 6-8 small servings.
Watching your weight? Look out for pumpkin pie. A traditional recipe has more than 300 calories per serving.
But here's a slimmed-down version from the University of Georgia Extension Service's Diabetes Resource Notebook.
The recipe calls for one chilled, uncooked pastry shell, three eggs, one teaspoon pumpkin pie spices, two tablespoons melted margarine, one and a half cups cooked or canned pumpkin, one and a half cups scalded skim milk, and one tablespoon sugar substitute.
Beat eggs and add, in order, spices, salt, sweetener, melted margarine, pumpkin and scalded milk. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn oven to 325 and continue to bake for 30 minutes.
The recipe yields six servings. Each piece has 204 calories, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat and 226 milligrams of sodium.