It’s that time of year when pumpkins dot farm fields here in Prince Edward County, additional to those lovely vineyards dripping with grapes and birdnetting. Pumpkin lends a silent reminder of the days when this area was renowned as”The Garden County of Canada”, producing,canning and shipping massive amounts of tomatoes, peas, beans, corn and yes, pumpkin. See about how history lives here, or talk to oldster folks you hold a door open for in town …they might tell you of those tough times of working for 12 cents a day. Kudos to Mill Pond Cannery and Preserves of Bloomfield, for their delicious products that honour that rich agricultural history rather deliciously.
Here are recipes I developed for Foodland Ontario, for Pumpkin Pie with a Cookie Crumb Crust, and Thai Custard Steamed in a Pumpkin. It hadn’t occurred to me to cook pumpkins for making puree WITH the skin on, until some family-farm friends in West Lake mentioned they’d always done it that way…for preserving a brighter colour (and not having to get out the veggie peeler). Imagine eating a dessert that boasts enough Beta Catotene to actually be GOOD for you !
The Wellington Pumpkinfest makes for a great outing on Sat.Oct 16, and a chance to meet local growers of some really mammoth specimens the festival is known for (with winning seeds having been sold far and wide).
photo by Michael Waring
food styling and recipe by Ruth Gangbar / Foodland Ontario
While you’re visiting, check out the Wellington Heritage Museum (open from April-Oct) to see the “Douglas A. Crawford Cannery Industry Exhibit”, before heading to Rosehall Run Winery and tasting on Greer Road (or see their wines served gloriously at the Slow Food fundraiser at the Brickworks 4th Annual Picnic in T.O on Oct 3). The wineries of the County are gaining acclaim; I even heard tell of a local Port in the works at Karlo Estates Winery…so there. Calvados, pleaaase? Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
photo by Willi P. on Flickr (and more shots here)
The Harvest by Gudrun Gallo