The Tale of Jack and His Lantern

The pumpkin is carved, the candle is carefully balanced inside and voila! That plain old field pumpkin is now a decorative jack o’lantern. Why do we use such an odd name for a carved pumpkin? Over time as with any folklore there have been variations of the curious Celtic tale about how the jack o’lantern got its name. Centuries ago, so the story goes, there lived a fellow called Stingy Jack or Greedy Jack. Some say he was a farmer, others say he was a blacksmith, but all agree he was a stingy, greedy, mean-spirited trickster who loved to steal rutabagas, gamble and drink to excess. One day Stingy Jack came face to face with Mr. Devil. As the family friendly version goes, just as Jack begged for a little food before Mr. Devil escorted him to the underworld, they came upon a giant apple tree. That gifted trickster persuaded Mr. Devil to climb to the top of the tree to pick the ripest, juiciest apple. While Mr. Devil climbed, Stingy Jack quickly fashioned little crosses and placed them all around the tree trunk. Fearing the crosses, Mr. Devil remained trapped in the branches until he promised that he would not take Stingy Jack’s soul when he died. Some years later, when Stingy Jack died, he climbed to the Pearly Gates of Heaven. There stood St. Peter who chastised Stingy Jack for his wicked life and refused to let him enter. So Stingy Jack made his way through the pitch black darkness down to Hell for his eternal home. Bound by the promise never to bring Stingy Jack’s soul to Hell, Mr. Devil refused to let him enter. Neither alive nor dead, Stingy Jack was doomed to wander the earth. He begged Mr. Devil for something to light his way. So he tossed Stingy Jack a fiery ember. As luck would have it, Stingy Jack had a half eaten rutabaga with him so he placed the ember, hotter than any earth fire, in the rutabaga. According to folklore, that was the origin of “Lantern O’Jack” or “Jack O’Lantern.” For centuries on All Hallow’s Eve, the Irish carved out rutabagas, turnips and gourds and lit them with charcoal to welcome good spirits and to shoo away Stingy Jack and other bad spirits. The Irish arrived in America and discovered that the pumpkins already growing in their new land were easier to carve than the other vegetables. They switched from rutabagas to pumpkins. Can you imagine attempting to carve a rutabaga?

More About Pumpkins Some colonists created an early version of pumpkin pie by scraping away seeds and fibers from inside a small pumpkin They filled it with milk, cinnamon, cloves and honey then baked it in the ashes. They consumed the entire thing. Pumpkin pie times have changed! The folks of the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers Association in New Bremen, Ohio set the Guinness record on Sept. 25, 2010 for the world’s largest pumpkin pie. Their pie weighed 3,699 pounds and was 20 feet in diameter. Besides keeping Stingy Jack from the door, pumpkins are a delicious, nutritious addition to the family diet. Kids don’t always make the connection between the pumpkin from the field and that thick stuff spooned from the can labeled pumpkin. Surprise and enlighten them by cooking a pumpkin, preparing the pulp and making something yummy. Tasty cooking pumpkins are usually 4-6 pounds. Here are two easy ways to make pulp. To boil: Cut the pumpkin in pieces, cover with water and cook until tender. Drain and peel off outer skin then puree in a blender or food processor. To bake: Cut pumpkin in wedges after cleaning out seeds and membranes. Place cut sides down in a glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover and bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Peel the soft pumpkin from the outer skin and blend or process to make the puree. Oh, the possibilities of what to do with all that prepared pumpkin! Keep the kids involved in the cooking process and beyond. They might have some creative culinary suggestions. Of course you could make a traditional pumpkin pie using your favorite recipe. Pumpkin bread is a crowd pleaser. Think outside the box. Add a cup of pumpkin to your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe. You can blend a few tablespoons of fresh pumpkin puree and some pumpkin pie spice into your pancake batter. Think about spreading pumpkin butter on hot biscuits. No, this isn’t a pumpkin and butter combo. It is a spread similar to apple butter. Forget about the canner and a day over the hot stove. My granny’s quick recipe makes a small batch to be stored in the refrigerator. To make pumpkin butter: In a saucepan combine 2 cups pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup real maple syrup,1/2 cup light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir frequently. Because pumpkin sweetness varies, give a taste test halfway through the cooking process to see if you need more sweetener. Refrigerate pumpkin butter in a pint jar. If you must, you can substitute 1 can of plain pumpkin and add 1/2 cup apple juice. This pumpkin butter also makes a great and semi-nutritious dipping sauce for ginger snaps, oatmeal cookies or rice cakes. The mini pumpkins nestled with ornamental gourds in the produce department and at farmers’ markets are good eating. You can go savory or sweet with these little gems. Cut off the tops, clean the inside, brush the interior with melted butter, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Replace the tops and place in a baking dish filled with water about 1/2 inch deep. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until pumpkins are tender. Serve plain or fill with cranberry rice or a veggie medley. To make a sweeter version, follow the cleaning and baking instructions then combine 3 tablespoons melted butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush the insides of the pumpkins with the mixture. Divide left over melted butter mixture between the pumpkins. Eat plain or fill will frozen vanilla yogurt topped with a tablespoon of granola.