Stingy Jack

I am out of tea this morning.  I have had cocoa and coffee all weekend. So…. I am drinking Pumpkin Chia Late tea; smells wonderful, like fall, tastes like warm pumpkin pie.

 Speaking of pumpkins, I ordered one of the cream cheese pumpkin muffins form Starbucks Sunday morning and was I in for a surprise. I usually avoid their pastry because they tend to be dry. The muffin was moist and flavorful and creamy and very spicy. Well done Starbucks, well done.

A pumpkin is a squash. It is native to North America. Pumpkins can weigh anywhere between 1000 pounds to 1 pound. Seeds dating back over 2000 years have been found at sites in Mexico. The word pumpkin originates from the Greek word pepon, large melon. The French called them Pompon and the British Pumpion. The American colonists called them pumpkins. They are found in a variety of colors, orange, yellow, dark green light green, white, grey and red.

The main nutrients in pumpkins are lutein an antioxidant, and alpha and beta carotene which generates Vitamin A. Antarctica is the only continent which pumpkins cannot grow. The Connecticut Field variety is considered the traditional American Pumpkin. The seeds are a good source of zinc, magnesium, copper and protein. Pumpkin has a fiber content which aids in digestion. 564mg of Potassium 49 calories, 37 mg of calcium 2650 IU vitamin A and much more are offered per 1 cup cooked pumpkin.

Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, flowers, shell, pulp, seeds and leaves. Pumpkin seed oil is used in Eastern Europe in cooking.

Canned pumpkin is suggested by veterinarians to feed cats and dogs that may be experiencing, digestive problems, diarrhea or hairballs.

Pumpkins are a fruit.

History of the Jack-o-Lantern

People have been making jack-o-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O’Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o’lanterns.  Source…The History Channel

Virginia in County Cavan Ireland holds a Pumpkin Festival every year and Lady Tamarawww.LairdOfLochaber.com who is crazy about pumpkins (just look at her kitchen) has added this event to her Bucket List. Join me?