Published: November 19, 2008 12:22 am            

The noble pumpkin

It’s not just about the pie

What’s a pumpkin good for? Well, around this time of year, the orange squash-like plant takes a place of honor. From kids carving them into jack-o’lanterns to pumpkin pie, the noble pumpkin is on everyone’s mind right now.

What holiday gathering would be complete without the pumpkin pie’s rich, velvety goodness? Whether you like it served fresh and warm from the oven or chilled and smothered in whipped cream, pumpkin pie is an American tradition.

Just like everything else, there are some people who just don’t like pumpkin pie. For those people, there’s a whole host of foods made with the noble pumpkin they can enjoy.

A quick Internet search will yield dozens of recipes, including soups and stews.

Rivesville resident Janet Scholvin enjoys a variety of pumpkin treats from cookies to pumpkin bread. When she was younger, Scholvin said her grandmother made a delightful pumpkin soup that was served cold.

“You never got a big bowl of it,” she said. “You just got a little bowl as an appetizer. It was very good.”

Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the recipe today.

Instead of making pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, fellow Rivesville resident Tiffany Adams makes pumpkin rolls.

If you’ve never enjoyed one, a pumpkin roll begins with a thin cake, almost like a pumpkin bread. After it’s baked, the bread is smothered with cream cheese icing and rolled up with the icing inside.

“There’s something about the combination of pumpkin and cream cheese that’s just to die for,” Adams said.

One year when she was a child, Adams’ mother made pumpkin rolls, and the family was hooked. They’ve enjoyed the sweet richness of the pumpkin roll ever since. When Adams moved out of her parents’ home, she continued making them every fall.

“They’re fun to make,” she said. “You’ve got to wrap it up to make sure it cools curved. It’s not just some boring cake you dump in a pan.”

Though there are plenty of recipes out there for pumpkin rolls and other goodies, Adams sticks with the recipe her mom used.

“It’s just what tastes best. It reminds me how it tasted when I was a kid,” she said.

No matter how many ways you cook a pumpkin, there are those that love their pie. Scholvin’s one of those die-hard pumpkin pie lovers.

“Nothing takes the place of pumpkin pie,” she said.

E-mail Katie Wilson at kwilson@timeswv.com.

        

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