I'd like to take this opportunity to say a great big "thank you" to the most famous and beloved vegetable of them all ... the pumpkin. Sure, it's the day after Halloween and all over the world millions of pumpkins have had their day and are now sitting outside somewhere wasting away, or perhaps somewhere inside all saggy and squishy after spending last night lit up, decorating someone's table. Today, all thoughts of pumpkin will be swept aside until Thanksgiving when the idea of pumpkin pie once again puts this beloved orange sphere in the spotlight.
Oh, sure, when it comes to fruit, you've got our good old apples (you know, the whole "Johnny Appleseed/Mom's Apple Pie" thing), but pumpkins have evolved from just being a Halloween and holiday pie thing. An entire industry has risen around this tasty and, dare I say, healthy plant. There's pumpkin pies, for sure, but also pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin latte, pumpkin spice tea ... there is even such a think as pumpkin pasta, if you can believe it (believe it, I have the recipe and it is yummy).
Just in case you thought it was all about taste, allow me to share with you what Web MD had to say about the almighty pumpkin:
"In addition to beta carotene, pumpkins offer vitamin C, vitamin E, Iron, and folate - all of which help strengthen the immune system. More pumpkin in your diet can help immune cells work better to ward off germs and speed healing when you get a wound."
Pretty impressive, if you ask me. So here's to the almighty, healthy, tasty, and all-around good sport, the pumpkin. Long may you grace out tables, our holidays, and our hearts.
And so it is.
