Growing Together:
Food, Family and Friends
This month we explore the advantages of adding colorful fall foods, including pumpkin, to our diet and some fun ways to use fall foliage to make art projects.
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Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist
Kim Bushaw, M.S., Family Science Specialist (former)
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EAT
When fall colors appear, let the beautiful outdoor palate inspire you to make more colorful choices on your plate. Remember that half of our plates should be filled with fruits and vegetables. By the way, both adults and kids shortchange themselves on this goal.
Fall-favorite pumpkins are a type of squash. Squash actually are the fruits of the plant, according to botanists. The orange flesh is rich in pigments (called carotenoids) that our body converts to vitamin A. We need vitamin A for healthy eyes and skin.
All types of squash are good sources of fiber to help our digestion and to fight illness. Try pumpkin in pancakes, fruit leather, smoothies, quick bread and bread pudding.
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As the weather chills, how about a warming bowl of soup with some fresh bread?
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Savory Pumpkin Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped sage (~10 leaves) or 2 tsp. dried sage
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 (15.5-ounce) can navy beans
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
⅛ teaspoon pepper
Dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds and/or sage for garnish (optional)
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and sage, and cook for another minute. Add vegetable broth, pumpkin, beans, turmeric, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Allow the soup to cool before transferring in small portions to a blender to puree. You may use an immersion blender. Transfer the soup back into the pot and let cook on medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish as desired.
Makes six servings. Each serving has 130 calories, 2.5 grams (g) fat, 5 g protein, 21 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber and 300 milligrams sodium.
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Connect
Planters with human faces are popular. Have your family make their own with inexpensive terra cotta pots. You may even want to make some for gifts! Won’t that person be surprised to see themselves as a planter. You can plant them with microgreens, grass seed, herbs or cuttings from your houseplants.
Try making note cards or bookmarks from dried flowers and plant leaves. Pick them and lay them out to dry between paper towels or wax paper, then press them under a heavy stack of books. In a few weeks, you will have pressed plants to adorn your projects.
Would you like to be a science teacher? Try a simple experiment that shows how plants get water. Gather a few wild white daisies and put them a container with water and some red food coloring. Use another container with blue coloring in the water. Mix red and blue for purple water, or yellow and red for orange. Add flowers and wait, then observe. Write down what you see and the time. Within a day or two, you should have a colorful bouquet and the answer to the question, how do plants take in water?
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If you have too many pumpkins and squash, can you preserve them? We have safe canning directions for chunks of squash but not pureed squash. You can freeze pumpkin and squash. See www.ag.ndsu.edu/food to access the free food preservation resources.
Consider making a homemade pumpkin pie starting with a whole sugar pumpkin. The flesh of jack-o-lantern pumpkins is too stringy to use in recipes.
Rinse the pumpkin to clean it, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Then bake it, cut it in chunks and boil or microwave it. Finally, mash or puree the pumpkin in a blender or food processor, and use the pumpkin in your favorite recipes. Drain the pumpkin before using so the moisture level in your recipe is not affected. Learn more here.
What about the seeds? Rinse, pat dry and roast the pumpkin seeds with a touch of oil and garlic powder or other spice to enjoy them as a snack.
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