Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins

Emily Gojmerac

From decorating your front lawn to baking sweet treats this fall, pumpkins are an annual, colorful fall staple.

Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, pumpkin is very healthy. This vegetable can be a great addition to your healthy routine. Pumpkin is also great for boosting your immune system, protecting your eyesight, lowering your risk of certain cancers and works at promoting heart and skin health.

Ryan Nelson of Nelson’s Berry Farm says “Pumpkins are a water vegetable. They enjoy wet soil and like an inch of rain per week and two inches of rain once they start developing.”

Pumpkins can withstand some degree of cold, but not subzero temperatures. To get the best longevity out of your pumpkin, try to bring in your pumpkin from the cold to sustain it longer.

The thicker the stem, the heartier the pumpkin. If the pumpkin stem breaks off sometime after you have picked it, it is more likely to rot sooner due to lack of nutrients coming from the stem.

Pie pumpkins are smaller in size yet have a heartier inside and a smoother texture that is essential for the perfect pumpkin pie.

Baked pumpkin seeds are also a healthy snack. In fact, pumpkin seeds have been shown to improve heart health, blood sugar levels and sleep quality.

What will you do with your pumpkins?

Recipe to try Soft Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (or regular

flour)

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp pumpkin spice seasoning

• 1/2 cup butter, or coconut oil (for dairy-free)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 egg

• 1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free) Instructions 1. To begin, preheat your oven to 350 and line two baking pans with parchment paper.

2. In a small mixing bowl add your flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice seasoning and stir them together till well combined.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add your butter and sugars and “cream” together with a hand blender for a minute or two. Add to the bowl your pumpkin, vanilla and egg and briefly blend them in with the rest of the ingredients.

4. Pour your dry ingredients into the large bowl with your wet ingredients and stir them together till they are well combined. Finally, add your oats into the bowl and gently fold them into the batter.

5. Scoop your dough onto the pans, evenly spread apart, for no more than 12 cookies per pan. Leave cookies as is for thick cookies, or spread each cookie out (wider and thinner) with a spatula if you would like thinner cookies, as these cookies don’t spread much.

6. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, or till the cookies have set around the edges and on top.

7. Let cool and devour!

Recipe Notes Due to the amount of pumpkin and soft cookie texture, store these cookies in the fridge for them to last longer. In the fridge they should last about a week or so.

The final Tuesday Farmer’s Market will be on Tuesday October 18, behind the post office. The last Saturday Farmer’s Market will be on Saturday October 29 at the Fair Grounds.

Reporter

IVING

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