The pumpkin - food, storage & recipes

This article is about the Pumpkin and what you can do with it. I'll show you the seasons when you can get pumpkin, why it's so healthy and also present three delicious vegan pumpkin recipes that will allow you to eat pumpkin all week long and still get enough variety. Let's go!
Here is another short Table of contents for you:

• Pumpkin - seasonal & regional
• Pumpkin is healthy
• What is edible about pumpkins?
• Pumpkin storage
• 3 pumpkin recipes
• Closing words

Eat pumpkin seasonally and regionally

Eating vegan, seasonal and regional food is definitely the most environmentally friendly way to eat. In fall and winter, the pumpkin is an excellent choice here in our latitudes. Vegan pumpkin recipes are ideal for environmentally friendly and delicious cooking.
If you're even more interested in the effects of your diet on the climate, I recommend you take a look at in my article Nutrition & Climate to look. Eating pumpkin regularly during the season will definitely improve your personal ecological balance enormously.

Why is pumpkin healthy?

Above all, the many vitamins, minerals and fiber make the pumpkin healthy. Pumpkin is extremely low in calories, contains only a few carbohydrates and is also filling. It is therefore ideal for a low-carb diet or a diet, although I would only recommend both temporarily.

The nutritional value naturally varies depending on the type of pumpkin. The good thing about pumpkin is that it contains many different vitamins, namely Vitamins A, C, E and K are covered. It also contains few Sodiumbut Iron, Magnesium and Potassium. Pumpkins are therefore well suited to providing a wide range of micronutrients. However, if you are dependent on an increased intake of a single micronutrient for health reasons, you should look at other fruit and vegetables.

The best thing about pumpkin is of course that it is not only healthy, but also tastes delicious. There are lots of great and warming vegan pumpkin recipes, especially in winter. With the many different delicious pumpkins, you can get your vitamins even in winter when there is not so much fruit around. If you want to know more about healthy eating, take a look at our Nutrition blog over.

Pumpkin - what is edible?

The edibility of pumpkins varies depending on the variety. Theoretically, most pumpkins can be eaten with the skin on, but it can take a long time for the skin to soften. It is therefore often a good idea to peel the pumpkin or remove the flesh from the skin after cooking.

The easiest way to do this is with Hokkaido pumpkin, which you can eat with the skin on. That's why I recommend choosing organic quality. With the Hokkaido, you only need to cut off the stem at the top. You can also dry and roast the pumpkin seeds to make your own pumpkin seeds. With butternut squash, it takes a relatively long time for the skin to soften. I therefore recommend that you either peel the pumpkin beforehand or separate the flesh from the skin after baking or cooking. The skin of nutmeg pumpkins also takes a long time to soften. It is therefore also worth peeling the pumpkin before preparation.

How and where to store pumpkin

It is best to store the whole pumpkin in a cool, dry place. The cellar or a slightly cooler storage room is therefore best. Depending on the weather, you can also simply store the pumpkin outside if you have the opportunity to do so.

If you have already cut the pumpkin, you should definitely store it in the fridge and eat it within a few days. I always cook or bake the whole pumpkin and then store the cooked pumpkin pieces in the fridge or freeze them. Frozen pumpkin pieces will keep for around four to five months.

Vegan pumpkin recipes

Warming vegan pumpkin soup for the cold months

• 2 butternut squashes
• 2 cans coconut milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, cut off the tops of the pumpkins, cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Bake the pumpkin cut side down for an hour until soft. Then remove the pumpkin from the oven, leave to cool until you can touch it (!) and then separate the flesh from the skin. Place the still-warm flesh in a soup pot over a medium heat, add the coconut milk and stir well. Bring to the boil briefly and then remove from the heat. Then carefully puree the mixture with a hand blender or blender and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Optional: If you want a very fine soup, you can strain the soup through a sieve.

Optional: the pumpkin soup can be refined with vegetables of your choice or fresh herbs. In my opinion, roasted red peppers or roasted chickpeas go particularly well (use pre-cooked chickpeas from the jar).

Vegan pumpkin recipe with baked butternut squash

You can vary this dish incredibly well and adapt it to your individual taste. I like Mediterranean cuisine and therefore often use peppers, tomatoes and zucchinis and a Mediterranean herb mix. If you want to keep it regional and seasonal, you can use mushrooms, broccoli, potatoes, kohlrabi, parsnips, tomatoes, cauliflower, peppers, zucchinis and carrots in October.

• 1 butternut squash
• Diced vegetables to your taste
• 2 tbsp dried herb mix - I prefer to use a Mediterranean herb mix
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon paprika powder
• 1 tsp curry powder
• Some oil
• Yeast flakes as topping

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan. Remove the pointed ends of the butternut squash, cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Score the inside of the pumpkin crosswise with a knife, brush with a little oil and then season with the herbs, salt and pepper and bake the pumpkin for approx. 20 minutes. In the meantime, cut the peppers, zucchinis and a few tomatoes (or the vegetables of your choice) into small cubes, marinate briefly with a little oil, the paprika and curry powder, salt, pepper and a few herbs and sauté in the pan.

Once the pumpkin has baked for 20 minutes, add the vegetable filling to the pumpkin and bake for another 20 minutes. I simply place the rest of the filling that doesn't fit into the pumpkin in a baking dish next to the pumpkin.
Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly and top with yeast flakes.

Pumpkin fries - quick, easy, vegan pumpkin recipe

It is best to use organic Hokkaido pumpkin, as you can eat the skin of the Hokkaido and you will be done even faster. For the pumpkin fries you need

• 1 organic Hokkaido pumpkin
• Some oil
• Rosemary and thyme (the amount varies depending on the size of the pumpkin)
• Salt and pepper

Remove the ends of the pumpkin, halve the pumpkin and remove the seeds. Then cut the pumpkin into quarters and cut into chips-like slices. Make sure that the slices are not too thick, otherwise the pumpkin will have to cook for longer. Marinate with a little oil, salt, pepper and herbs and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for approx. 25 minutes. (The cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of the pumpkin pieces)
While the pumpkin is baking, you can prepare a delicious dip or salad. I definitely recommend hummus as a dip, which is delicious and healthy. For some inspiration, you can check out my Hummus recipe post drop by. The pumpkin fries can be eaten as a side dish, with a salad or just on their own. You can simply keep any leftover pumpkin fries in the fridge and use them the next day as a topping for salads and eat them cold.

My conclusion about the pumpkin

I think pumpkin is an ideal fall and winter vegetable that can be used to conjure up delicious, warming dishes. It also has great nutritional value, which makes the pumpkin healthy, and an excellent eco-balance. Pumpkin is regional, seasonal and vegan, which makes it very resource-efficient.

In terms of taste, environmental friendliness and health, vegan pumpkin recipes are almost unbeatable, which is why pumpkin regularly ends up on my plate in fall and winter. If you (like me a few years ago) have never eaten pumpkin before, I definitely recommend giving it a try. Have fun cooking the vegan pumpkin recipes.

Do you have any questions, tips or your own experiences with pumpkin that you would like to share? Then I look forward to your comment under this post.

All the best,

P.S.: If you have never tried to live vegan, you get in the article. Vegan lifestyle the best tips for your vegan start.