The Refuge Permaculture Center

Fall light in the afternoon. Cooling nights, warm afternoon. But the leaves are hardly showing their color. I had pumpkin left from last year. Sweetie Pie variety. And this Alpen glow afternoon light finally got to me. Pumpkin Custard.

I’m completely over all the “pumpkin spice”  commercials: candles, perfumes, coffee and ice cream flavoring. The ingredients in what we call Pumpkin Spice only reach their best when heated in oil in that cast iron skillet or baked in a moist batter.

Did you know that nutmeg, mace and cloves were the reason that the Dutch colonized the Molucca Islands in the 1500s, that a massacre was committed in the 1600s and a war was fought in the early 1800s? All over these spices and the need for them in Europe. Their ability to preserve foods was essential. I add a dash of cinnamon to my fruit juices to keep them safe from molds. The spice warmed the senses and became a scent of comfort. The spices (and the associated trade) were as valuable as gold and more.

Research has found that the scent of cinnamon causes real feelings of warmth; it calms.

We could all use a wee bit more of that in our lives.

So, here is a simple recipe for pumpkin custard. We have always seen it as a dessert or pie filling, but it is also a very  important vegetable.

15 ounces of cooked pumpkin

2 eggs (one duck egg is perfect for me)

One cup milk (I use vanilla soy milk)

2/3 cup brown sugar (I use about 1/3 cup)

Pumpkin Spices – cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, allspice

A dash of salt

Blend until creamy

Oil a casserole dish and pour mixture in; warm oven to 340; Sprinkle the top very lightly with spices and a tiny bit more brown sugar.

Check carefully at 30 minutes. Gently move the dish. Center should not move.

Remove and let cool slightly. I have mine with a drizzle of vanilla yogurt. This a quiet, warm – and healthy – gift of the garden.

Let me know how yours goes, or if you have any questions. Enjoy the sunset, the peace, the bounty…