Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
19th October 2019
Soupa Pumpkins
Ye Gods, the Christmas stuff is in the shops, next to the Halloween costumes and plastic skull lights. We all moan about losing the seasons weather-wise, but that is out of our hands. C’mon people, let’s keep some order on festive celebrations. Halloween, and then Christmas (yes, I have deliberately omitted Bonfire Night, don’t get me started on fireworks). At this rate we’ll have Easter eggs in amongst the stollen and tinsel before you know it.
My only nod to Halloween each year is to carve out a pumpkin, partly because I enjoy it but mostly because I enjoy pumpkin soup more. Last year I found a great Thai pumpkin soup recipe that will encourage you to carve the flesh out of a few pumpkins of your own.
Add 1 tbs minced galangal (or ginger), 1 tbs minced lemongrass, and a small bunch of coriander (or just use a Thai curry paste instead) to a saucepan with a couple of chopped onions. Cook in a little coconut oil for a minute or two before adding the chopped pumpkin flesh. Toss to coat, then add some stock and simmer until the pumpkin is soft. Blend, season to taste, stir in some coconut milk and garnish with a squeeze of lime, some sliced red chilli and coriander leaves.
Chicken Feed
And whilst I am in a ‘Bake Off’ mood, I also cook up a ‘cake’ for my chickens. Pumpkin seeds are thought to be a natural wormer for chickens, and even if they’re not (before the naysayers email me), it is a tasty treat for them.
Blend a little pumpkin flesh, a chopped apple (loads of windfalls at the moment) and all the pumpkin seeds in a blender, then add a handful of porridge oats and a little garlic powder, mix thoroughly and that’s it! If you are not carving your pumpkin, or have a spare, you can serve the ‘pumpkin chicken cake’ in the pumpkin shell and they’ll peck out the remaining flesh from that too.
Nasturtiums are also considered to be a natural chicken wormer and chickens love the leaves, flowers and seeds. They are also thought to be a laying stimulant, antiseptic and antibiotic. I always grow the ‘easy annuals’ in my garden for salads, but next year I will grow more of them up against the wire of the chicken pen. They’ll make a colourful screen and the chickens can help themselves to a healthy treat throughout the summer. My favourite plants are like my favourite people – easy going, interesting and practical.
Creative Carving
Get creative with your pumpkin carving – use pots of ornamental grass for hair, toothpicks can turn a egg-shaped pumpkin (or squash) into a hedgehog, and this is the best use of false nails, I’ve seen! (See photo).
Core! Good Idea
Monday (21st) Is Apple Day in the UK – although many events are being held over this weekend, by Common Ground, Women’s Institutes, National Trust properties, Wildlife Trusts, and many restaurants, clubs, societies, and educational institutes. Events include sharing all sorts of apple related information and processes, from juicing to apple ID.
I have already juiced copious amounts of apples – including cratefuls of apples people just didn’t want – and encourage you to find somewhere local to you that juices apples too. A lot of allotments have a communal press or you can even buy your own. www.vigopresses.co.uk have a huge selection of equipment to make the most of your fruit, including presses for juices and ciders and steamers for homemade cordials and even jellies! They also offer fabulous recipes and to be honest after reading the one for rhubarb and ginger cordial I have put my order in. One to note for a Christmas present perhaps?
How to Get Ahead
A few years ago I made some shrunken apple heads … great conversation pieces and just in time for Halloween decorations.
Start by peeling your apples – experiment a little, leaving a stalk and bit of peel at the top will look like a hat when dried – then get all creative with the carving. There are some great ideas on the Internet. I used cloves for eyes and rice grains for teeth.
Then brush your apple with a lemon juice and salt solution (2 lemons to 1 tbs salt), taking care to get the solution into all the nooks and crannies you have carved. This will prevent, or at least slow down, your apple going mouldy. And then dry the apples in the oven very slowly on a very low temperature, or ideally in a dehydrator.
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