Image above from The Cheap Gourmet

I love ritual. The dates and things and places that usher in change and signal the passage of time, that we pine for each year. Growing up, one autumnal ritual my brother and I looked forward to every year was the pumpkin ice cream made fresh at Bergey’s Dairy Farm in Chesapeake, Virginia. Although we routinely visited the dairy farm year-round to slurp up their freshly-churned seasonal offerings, it was the pumpkin ice cream, offered each September, that really got our salivary glands stimulated and our autumnal hankerings cranking.

Image above  by Aran Goyoaga

Along with apples, pumpkins, for me, mark the official “Howdy Do!” of the season. Pumpkins are everywhere right now, and I personally can’t get enough of them. Members of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae, pumpkins, as well as what are collectively referred to as “winter squash” (including such offerings as acorn, butternut, candy roaster, delicata, kabocha, red kuri, spaghetti, turban and many more) are rich in nutrients, subtle and sweet in flavor and robust in color and ornamentation. Accordingly, today’s “Small Measures” celebrates all things pumpkin.

Image above from Quail Hollow Farm

Around this time last year, I wrote about my go-to skin salvation for combating the drying ravages of crisp, autumn air — the Great Pumpkin Patch Mask. Whipped up in seconds using a mere two ingredients, I highly suggest giving this mask a go yourself. Aside from body care, and the more obvious activity of eating pumpkins (more on that below), decorating with the orbs, and/or their winter squash cousins, is one of my most beloved ways of making the most of these seasonal beauties. At Chez English, we’ve got pumpkins on the entrance steps, perched on the coffee table and arrayed across our long, oak dining room table (along with acorns gathered from one of our giant oak trees, pine cones from a tree that fell during last winter’s blizzard, apples from my mom’s tree, gourds ‘a plenty and candles). Furthermore, inspired by this idea from BH&G, my sister and I carved out a large, tall pumpkin and placed a vase filled with goldenrod, dried Queen Anne’s lace, pine cone-clad branches, bittersweet and other wildflowers sourced from my property inside the recess. We then tucked apples around the opening, creating a seasonal centerpiece with which to anchor the dining room table for our Nugget Warming this past weekend.

CLICK HERE for the rest of Ashley’s post (along with her recipe for Butternut Squash & Gorgonzola Pasta with Sage) after the jump!

Image above from My Readable Feast

My favorite part of the pumpkin and winter squash’s arrival, though, has got to be their seemingly endless culinary applications. From the recipe for pumpkin creme brulee in my Keeping Chickens book to this phenomenal recipe for pumpkin waffles, I could eat the stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner all season long. I’m also dying to make this Ginger-Pumpkin Meringue Pie. Depending on when Nugget comes along, I’m hoping to be able to whip it up for Thanksgiving, when my Florida family comes to visit. And don’t forget about the seeds, too! We made this super easy pumpkin seed brittle (FYI, butter your cookie sheets liberally!!!) to give away as party favors, along with little jars of cardamom apple butter, at the Nugget Warming.

Image above from Serious Eats

As for winter squashes, each autumn without fail I whip up a pot of Mollie Katzen’s Curried Winter Squash soup. The inclusion of orange juice and mushrooms impart a sweet, yet earthy quality that is truly otherworldly. Also, the Hubs and I put together the following pasta dish for our bash this past weekend. If you’re looking for a way to impress your friends, use up a seasonal item and do so with ease, look no further.

Butternut Squash & Gorgonzola Pasta with Sage, Lemon Balm & Pumpkin Seed Pesto

The Goods

• 1 lb. fusili pasta
• 3/4 c. crumbled Gorgonzola
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 c. raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 1/2 c. fresh sage leaves (or a mixture of half sage, half lemon balm leaves)
• olive oil
• 1/2 lemon and zest from peel
• 2 tbsp. capers
• a couple pinches of salt and fresh ground pepper

The Deal
1. Toss cubed acorn squash with a pinch of salt and pepper in a couple tbsp. olive oil, then roast in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, until tender. Remove from oven and set aside.

2. In the meantime, toast pumpkin seeds in a couple tbsp. olive oil over medium heat until some of the seeds start getting lightly browned.

3. Add garlic, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pumpkin seeds and cook for two more minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for a few minutes.

4. Chop sage (and lemon balm, if using) finely in food processor.

5. Add 2/3 of the pumpkin seed mixture, lemon juice and 1/2 c. olive oil to the sage, and puree until smooth.

6. Cook the pasta. When done, drain and stir in the Gorgonzola until fully melted into the pasta, then stir in the pesto, capers, squash and remaining pumpkin seed mixture.

Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

What about you? Aside from placing a jack ‘o lantern on your stoop, what’s your most beloved means of using pumpkins and winter squash? One I almost forgot to mention but plan to enjoy again post-Nugget is pumpkin ale. Post Road from Brooklyn Brewery makes an otherworldly offering that never fails to please. Happy pumpkining, everyone! — Ashley

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