The cartoon character, Linus, from the 1966 movie, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” waited in a pumpkin patch all night because he believed there was a great pumpkin that traveled around the world delivering gifts to children who were sincere and believed.[1]
Unfortunately, the Great Pumpkin never arrived, and Linus was left without any gifts and feeling a sense of loss.
If only Linus would have had the knowledge to take one of those pumpkins home and tell his mother to roast it in the oven, then he would have surely received the gifts of the great pumpkin.
And, those gifts are:
- Vitamin A – for immune system support
- Beta Carotene, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin – carotenoids that support eye health
- Magnesium and potassium – maintains healthy blood pressure and supports heart health
- Fiber – supports the colon and gut
- Zinc (in the seeds) – supports cellular health and immunity
These delicious gifts are not only true for pumpkins but all winter squash: acorn, kabocha, butternut, buttercup, delicata, carnival, spaghetti, sweet dumpling, sugar pumpkin, and others.
So if you’re looking to find a treasure trove of gifts in the pumpkin patch, all you have to do is bring one of those big beauties home and roast it with herbs and spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme, and rosemary.
My 16-year old nephew took one bite of the roasted pumpkin and said, “Wow! This tastes like pumpkin pie.”
That is a gift for sure!
If you can make a healthy side dish taste like a dessert, you are both giving and getting amazing gifts from the pumpkin patch!
- 1 hokkaido pumpkin (can use squash or pumpkin)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- Olive oil
- Rosemary, minced
- Thyme, minced
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Open the pumpkin and remove all the seeds (save seeds and roast them!).
- Cut pumpkin into thin slices and put into a large mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg and cinnamon, and toss.
- Line a roasting pan with parchment paper and add pumpkin.
- Roast 45 minutes or until lightly charred.
[1] https://schooltube.com/the-history-of-its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown/
Andrea Beaman is an internationally renowned Holistic Health Coach, Natural Foods Chef, Speaker, Herbalist and best-selling author. Named one of the top 100 Most Influential Health and Fitness Experts, she is also a recipient of the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Award for Excellence in Health-Supportive Education and a Health Leadership award from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Since 1999, Andrea has been teaching people how to harness the body’s own preventative and healing powers using food, herbal remedies and alternative medicine.
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