We hope everyone will join us this week for
another great Pathfinder Produce fresh fruits and vegetable market.
This week, as part of our “21 Paths to Wellness,” we’ll be featuring Slow
Cooker Pumpkin Granola. Join us this Thursday at the Village Commons,
from 2 to 5 p.m.
***
The sights, sounds and smells
of autumn always take me back to memories of jumping in leaves, soccer and football
games, and going to our local pumpkin farm to pick out our Halloween jack o’
lanterns. And as the weather got colder, we’d spend more time indoors,
typically reading. As kids, my sisters and I loved the “Little House on
the Prairie” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her books always had colorful and
instructive descriptions of 19th century rural life on the Great Plains.
I’m not sure if kids still
read these books (they should!); they were popular during the 1970s through the NBC TV show
and a “looking back” phase that coincided with the nation’s bicentennial.
Most of the series covers Laura’s own childhood, but one book, “Farmer Boy,”
details her husband’s growing up in Malone, New York, up near the Canadian
border.
One of the stories from
“Farmer Boy” that has stayed with me describes how young Almanzo Wilder grew an
enormous pumpkin to enter into the county fair. Carefully, as the squash
was growing, he slit a stem feeding the plant, inserted a wick, and placed the
other end into a pan of milk. Through capillary action, I guess, the
pumpkin drank the milk, and the boy would check to see that the pumpkin was
well fed. His diligence and know-how resulted in a robust specimen that
won the blue ribbon, even beating entries from older, more experienced farmers.
More information on this method can be found at Steve
Spangler’s Science blog.
Back in those days, pumpkin
was stewed and served similar to mashed potatoes, garnished with some butter,
salt and pepper. Of course, housewives would also make pies:
Americans always used stewed pumpkin for their pies, but according to one cookbook
English cooks would use sliced pumpkin, creating something more like an apple
pie. Pumpkins were also used as animal feed.
Presently, pumpkin is showing
up in many convenience foods and beverages, and regular pumpkin canned puree
can be the basis of any number of delectable treats. For a healthy snack
as part of Pathfinder’s 21 Paths to Wellness in celebration of National
Down Syndrome Awareness Month, this week at the produce market we’ll be sharing the
pumpkin granola recipe below from blogger
Stephanie O’Dea.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Granola
5 cups of rolled oats
5 cups of rolled oats
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 to 3/4 cup honey (or agave if you prefer)
1 cup whole almonds or toasted pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dried cranberries/raisins or mixture (add last hour)
Use a large slow cooker (aka ‘crock
pot’), holding about 6.5 quarts. No additional butter or oil is needed, as the
pumpkin coats the oats and provides enough moisture to keep the mix from
burning. The honey provides enough sweetness and serves as a
binder. (According to The
Prepper Journal, if you don’t have a crock pot that large, you could use a
Dutch oven in the oven at 325 degrees F – just be sure to check it often as it
will cook in about half the time. A thin coating of oil in the pot may be
advisable).
Stir everything but the dried fruit
in. The honey will be ‘gloppy,’ just stir everything as well as you can. Cover
and cook in a vented slow cooker (prop the lid open with chopstick or wooden
spoon) on high for 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. Add dried fruit
the last 30-minutes to an hour. (Stephanie advises that when you're happy with
the texture and the consistency, it's done!)
Let cool completely; the oats will
get a harder and crispier after cooling. You can spread it all out on
layers of foil or parchment paper on the counter to speed up the process. Store
in an airtight container in either the fridge or the freezer.
Until
next time, be well and enjoy the fall weather!
Lori
