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Pumpkin Spice And Everything Nice

What is the Holiday Season without Pumpkin Pie and other pumpkin-based goodies?

Autumn is the gateway to Christmastime and that path is best ridden in a carriage that has been magically transformed from a pumpkin into a luxurious, festive ride.

Things To Know About Pumpkin Spice

Each and every year, pumpkin spice and pumpkin spice lattes get even more popular. It’s not just for young ladies in yoga pants anymore; you see pumpkin spice being used in everything from lattes and chai, brownies and cookies, various dishes savory and sweet.

So, just what is this marvelous autumnal spice and how can it put some zing in your thing?

Pumpkin Spice a Blend of Other Familiar Spices

People often ask, what even is Pumpkin Spice? You often see a spice bottle with either ‘pumpkin spice’ or ‘pumpkin pie spice’ on the label. Both varieties are essentially the same or at least generally similar.

There is no 100% specific combination of spices in pumpkin spice. It is just a mixture of traditional seasonal spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Allspice is sometimes included, but the mixture varies from recipe to recipe. You can adjust the flavor depending on how much of each of the spices you choose.

You Can Even Make It Yourself

You can always pick up a jar of pumpkin spice at a number of your favorite stores, but you can also make it yourself at home.

If you already have these spices, why not? For best flavor, you can control how much of each of the spices you use. Maybe you don’t have nutmeg so you skip it, but you love cinnamon and clove. If you want a little extra, then let ‘er rip!

For best results, you’ll want to have basically equal amounts of ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon. However, if you love one of these particularly then go ahead and add a bit more.

With the base mixture started, it’s time to add in your ground cloves and allspice. It’s best to use about half of what you included of the other spices. Mix them all up and put them in a container to use for your splendid holiday treats.

So Many Ways

People automatically think about pumpkin pie, pumpkin rolls or even pumpkin spice lattes when they think about this spice blend, but there are a lot of excellent ways to use it.

First of all, instead of just whipping up a latte at home you can simply add some pumpkin spice to your coffee grounds before brewing a pot of coffee. You’ll get the pumpkin taste even without any added sugar or milk. You can also add it directly to creamer, whipped cream or various other ingredients.

Pumpkin spice works great for both savory dishes and sweet ones. It is just as good in soup with pumpkin or other squash as it is when you are making muffins, cookies or pies.

What’s A Pumpkin Without The Spice?

Pumpkins Are a Type of Fruit

One of the least commonly realized facts about pumpkins is that they are fruit, not vegetables. Many people think of pumpkins as a vegetable, along with squash and other gourds. The actual fact is that it is a fruit.

Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop just like other types of winter squash. This is why it is available to be harvested in Autumn.

There Are a Wide Range of Colors and Shapes

Another neat thing about pumpkins is that there are so many different colors, sizes, and even shapes.

When people think of pumpkins, they often envision round or oval bright orange pumpkins. This is only one of many varieties. In various regions, you might find pumpkins in white, yellow, multi-colored or even red.

Round and oval are the most familiar, but some are pear-shaped or even ones with long necks. You can find mini pumpkins, gigantic ones and every size in between.

Clearly, some pumpkins are better for carving and others are good for eating. Some of the more unique ones are best for decorating.

The Great Pumpkin

As it turns out, pumpkin is classified as a ‘superfood‘, meaning that it’s a food that is packed with nutrients. Superfoods are generally higher in vitamins and minerals than average food, making them ‘super’ dense in nutrients.

Since pumpkin happens to be a superfood, it helps with things like dietary fiber, weight loss and improved vision. Let’s take a closer look at the health benefits of pumpkin and how it qualifies as a superfood.

Pumpkin Has a High Amount of Nutrients

The pumpkin’s primary claim to superfood status is because of its high nutrient content. You can cube it and add it to your salad, mash it into pumpkin puree or cut pieces of it into soups and other savory dishes.

So, exactly what vitamins and minerals are found in your friendly neighborhood pumpkin? A cup of fresh pumpkin will typically contain about 2.7 grams of fiber as well as lots of vitamin B-6, vitamin C, copper, vitamin E, folate, magnesium, niacin, phosphorous, potassium, riboflavin and thiamin. So you can see, it is loaded with nutrients.

Pumpkin is Low in Macronutrients

Pumpkin not only has a lot of vitamins and minerals your body needs to be healthy, but it is low in macronutrients. Macronutrients, or macros, are what you typically track when you are following a diet.

For example, macros you would be tracking are calories, fat, and carbohydrates. These are generally lower in pumpkin. Each cup of fresh pumpkin contains only 50 calories and less than 1 gram of fat and absolutely no cholesterol. Fresh pumpkin only has about 12 grams of carbs per cup, which is low compared to most other fruit.

Pumpkin can be added to most of your favorite recipes to add in extra nutrients without significantly increasing the fat or calorie content.

Pumpkins Are Mostly Water

Part of the reason why pumpkins are so low in fat because they contain about 90% water, which puts them in a category of dieter’s friends like celery, cucumbers and lettuce.

More Facts About Pumpkins

Here are a couple more things you probably didn’t know about pumpkins:

• Pumpkins grow on every continent except Antarctica.
• Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for herbal medicine as well as food.
• Pumpkins were once used for pie crust, instead of filling as we do today.
• The flowers that grow around pumpkins are perfectly edible and so is the skin.

Don’t Forget About The Seeds

If you are interested in using pumpkin for healthy eating, don’t forget about the seeds! Pumpkin seeds also contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, are low in fat and are great for having as a snack or putting on salads. Pumpkin seeds without the shell are called Pepitas, which is Spanish for ‘little seeds of squash‘.

Here are some more things to know about pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Seeds Are Loaded with Health Benefits

Just like the flesh of a pumpkin, pumpkin seeds also have a lot of vitamins and minerals. They are delicious and wonderful to have in season but don’t forget they are also really good for you. They contain a lot of magnesium, which is a type of electrolyte that is good for overall health.

Some other benefits include:

• Fiber to help your digestive health and weight loss
• Nutrients beneficial to the prostate and for better sleep
• Omega-3 fatty acids to help lower triglycerides and offset depression
• Zinc, which helps with your immune system and boosts male reproductive health

You Can Roast Your Own Seeds

While you can buy salted or unsalted pumpkin seeds in grocery stores and health food shops, they are so easy to make yourself at home. When you cut open a pumpkin and remove the fibrous strands, remember to save the seeds so you can roast them.

To make your pumpkin seeds:

• Start by separating them from the fibrous strands or ‘guts‘ the pumpkin.
• Place them in a colander and rinse well.
• Make sure they are completely rinsed with none of the fibrous inner strands stuck to them.
• Put the seeds on a paper towel so they can dry.
• If you are planning on seasoning them with salt or other seasonings, you might want to add the seasoning while they are still wet so it sticks or you can also coat dry seeds with oil and add the seasoning.
• Turn your oven to about 170 degrees Fahrenheit and roast them for 15 minutes.
• Try to avoid more than 20 minutes or you might roast all of the nutrients out of the seeds.
• Remove them from the oven and store according to your preference.

Ways to Use Pumpkin Seeds

The easiest way to add more pumpkin seeds to your diet is as a snack food. Grab a handful to nosh when you’re feeling a lbit peckish.

You can also top salads, soups, and chilis with roasted pumpkin seeds. Another idea is to grind them up to add to baked goods for a flavor and nutritional boost.