Pumpkin season

A bite-sized guide

Oct 14, 2023

Hello,

Happy Pumpkin season!

I’ve got a delicious newsletter for you today. We will be digging into pumpkin folklore (terrifying turnips and the tale of Stingy Jack), discovering some great pumpkin recipes and ending with some beautiful-not-scary pumpkin decorating ideas. Ready to wander through the pumpkin patch with me?

Just before we jump in, it’s come to my attention that some of my posts are getting a little bit long. I always mean to keep them short, but then I uncover a weird bit of folklore, or get obsessed trying to work out exactly what October smells like and before you know it I’ve written what could pass as the first draft of a book. Can’t help it.

But I suspect that some of these posts are being abandoned halfway by brave but exhausted readers. And as I usually save the very best bits for the end, that just won’t do at all. So I will attempt to get us all there a bit quicker from now on.

But that’s enough of that, let’s get back to all things warm, cosy and Octobery. Everyone’s favourite pumpkin-spiced season is about to begin…

baked pie — Photo by Diliara Garifullina on Unsplash

Pumpkin Folklore

Ever wondered where our seasonal obsession with pumpkin comes from? Well, it all started with a turnip.

In Celtic regions of Ireland and Scotland, and some areas of the UK, early Halloween celebrations involved hollowing out a turnip and placing a lantern inside to scare away spirits on the night of 31st October. Don’t think carved turnips sound that spooky? Take a look at photo of a truly terrifying early turnip lantern.

It’s believed this tradition has roots in the old Irish folklore tale of Stingy Jack who tried to trick the Devil and as a result was cursed to spend eternity roaming the earth with just a burning coal inside a turnip lantern (a Jack O’Lantern) to light his way. Ever seen an eerie light flickering over the marshes at night?

During the 19th century, this tradition was taken to America by Irish immigrants who found an abundance of native pumpkins at their disposal. These were considerably easier to carve than a turnip. So the carved turnip tradition developed in to a carved pumpkin tradition, which was then brought back to the UK and Ireland.

yellow and orange pumpkins — Photo by Alfred Schrock on Unsplash

Pumpkin recipes

I’ve taken a wander around the internet on your behalf and picked some of the most delicious-sounding pumpkin recipes for you to try. They are largely sweet recipes because that is where my heart lies, although I have included one savoury recipe for you just to even things out a little.

You could also just add a good dash of pumpkin spice (more commonly known in the UK as plain old mixed spice) to all your recipes this month, if you really want embrace the mood. There’s no pumpkin in it mind you (very confusing, that), but plenty of associated autumn cosiness.

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (Be right back, just off to try this immediately)
Halloween Pumpkin Cake (Like a carrot cake but with pumpkin)
Pumpkin Muffins (This recipe is from Riverford, so they must be healthy)
Pumpkin Pie (The classic. This seems like a good recipe for beginners like me)
Pumpkin and Ginger Soup (Spicy and cosy. That’s your one savoury dish!)

stacked white and orange pumpkins — Photo by Jasmine Coro on Unsplash

Pumpkin decorating

I know it’s traditional to carve something scary, and there’s plenty of folklore precedent for it thanks to Stingy Jack. But I’ve never been one for anything too dark, so you won’t catch me carving a terrifying turnip head. Traditions have to evolve don’t they? So I’m refusing to make a horror-themed pumpkin and am going for spookily beautiful instead.

If you want to join me, here are some of the most creative ideas I found on the internet:

78 Cool Pumpkin Carving Ideas to Try This Halloween (this list is amazing - the scalloped edge pumpkins and candle pumpkins are the best)
58 Cute Pumpkin Carving Ideas for Halloween 2023 (these ideas are really great for kids. The chicken! The fox!)
30+ wildlife-themed pumpkin carving ideas (range from ‘simple, anyone could do it’ to complexly beautiful)
No-Carve Cottagecore Pumpkin decor (Don’t want to carve? These all natural eco-friendly pumpkin decor ideas are inspired)

And finally

Don’t feed the animals. A few years ago there was much talk about how you should leave pumpkins out for wildlife once Halloween was over. I did it. Unfortunately, this turned out to be bad advice, as we now know they can be harmful. So the best advice is to compost them instead.

Ok, that’s all for now, I hope you have a fantastic pumpkin season and I’ll see you again on All Hallow’s Eve with a guide to the ancient pagan roots of this seasonal festival.

Vicky xx

Did you make it all the way to the end? Hurrah! If you enjoyed it I’d be thrilled if you would tap the heart below to leave a like so I’m not just watching the tumbleweed over here. Or, even better, you could share it or restack it for others to find. Thank you!