[SCA-Cooks] Pumpkins

[Morgan Cain]

> Does someone know if the decorative pumpkins and other decorative cuties
> they sell around Halloween are edible?

AFAIK, Audrey, they are, but treat as a vegetable.  Many people think of
pumpkin puree for breads, cakes, pies, and the like when they hear "pumpkin"
but the decorative ones are really more of an edible squash like zucchini
and such.  Not much meat, long on seeds for the size.  If you try to make
pie you will be REALLY disappointed.

FWIW, even jack-o-lantern pumpkins can disappoint for pies and such, because
they have such little flesh and it can be watery.  (This assumes you didn't
cut them open and let them get all mouldy.)  There really are breeds of
pumpkin for making pie.

And as a FURTHER digression, I'm baking pumpkin bread for this weekend!
Pulled out my "Celtic Folklore Cookbook" which gives a whole bunch of
Wicca-like analysis of the year, and then offers recipes to coordinate with
the festivals and months.  Happily, pumpkin bread works for Samhain, and
since this weekend is both the Celtic Heritage Fest and our monthly movie
night (theme:  Classic Monsters - meal: cauldron luck) it seems appropriate.
I was VERY interested to find a recipe in the book for "Roast Venison with
Garlic-Pepper Sauce" and it reads pretty close to our beloved Sauce Aliper!

                                                ---= Morgan


PS:  I was amused to read on one of our Kingdom lists how "The fair Donna
Selene from
Atenveldt has stollen [Count Gunthar's] heart, ...." - I figured that the
typo might have been deliberate, knowing His Excellency's love of cooking?
<G>   (And no, it was someone else typing, so we cannot tease List Papa TOO
much, I doubt it was Freudian.)


============================================================
"In the dark times, will there be singing in the dark times?
  Yes, there will be singing about the dark times."
                                             (Bertolt Brecht: 1898-1956)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathleen Rae - b. 9/15/01 - 7lbs 7oz - 20" - BEAUTIFUL