Evergreen Farms Pumpkin Facts and Recipes

Another big week-end at the farm. We had record crowds this week-end and as far as we know everyone had a great time despite the train delay. So many pumpkins have been going out the gate, Evergreen Farms would like to share some facts and recipes with all of you.

Pumpkin Nutritional Facts (based on one cup of pumpkin puree)
Calories: 80; Carbohydrates: 19 grams;Cholesterol: 0;Fat: less than 1 gram; Potassium: 588 milligrams; Protein: 2.4 grams; Vitamin A: 310% of RDA; Vitamin B: 20% of RDA
Cooking Pumpkin
Use firm, bright colored pumpkins
Cut in half, scrape out the seeds and brush the inside with melted butter and a little salt
Cover with foil and bake at 350F for about 50 minutes or until tender
Scoop out pulp from the skin. Mash or beat until smooth
A 3lb Pumpkin yields 4-5 cups
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp oil
1-2 tsp of salt
Separate seeds from pumpkin pulp. Do not wash. Coat the seeds with oil and salt. Bake on a baking sheet at 250F until seeds are dry. About 1 hour.
Pumpkin Casserole
Combine pumpkin puree with rice and minced grreen pepper in a thick white cheese sauce.
Bake 350F until warm.
Pumpkin West Indian Soup( serves 100)
3 lbs quartered onions
2lbs. Leeks
2oz. garlic
2oz. Olive Oil
7 lbs. pumpkin puree
31/2 gallons chicken stock
2 quarts Half and Half
1 quart of heavy cream
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Heat oven to 300F. Place onions, leeks and garlic in shallow roasting pan; drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes. Puree the vegetables.
Roast pumpkin puree at 300F for 20 to 25 minutes. In large stockpot combine the pumpkin puree, pureed begetables and chicken stock. Bring to boil. Simmer 1 hour.
Add Half and Half and cream. simmer 5 minutes. season with salt and pepper.
Pumpkin Pie Dip
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
15 ounces of pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger beating well. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Serve with gingersnaps, apple or pear slices.

Thousands enjoyed the fun this past week-end at the Pumpkin Hunt

This past week-end was a fun-filled event at Evergreen Farms. Thousands hunted and painted pumpkins and enjoyed all of the games on the farm. Next week-end will be even better as the forecast for the weather is a lot cooler. The new model train is a big hit despite the removal of the Caboose because of the high winds. Of course the real train ride is a a huge success since the ride is longer and has all kinds of trivia to learn along the way. See you this week-end. don't be left out. Next week we will try and have pictures posted---the camera needed recharging.