In Season: Pumpkin

Pumpkins photo by Robert S. Donovan via Flickr/Creative Commons

Stepping into a big box grocery store, it’s easy to think that all produce grows all year round—but that’s hardly the case. In this series, we’ll highlight one in-season produce pick a week.

Pumpkins

Nutrition: While the season’s most popular vegetable may be well known for its role in pie, beer, and lattes, pumpkin also packs a wallop of vitamin A and potassium.

Why that matters: The electrolytes in pumpkin’s calcium and potassium keep you hydrated. Meanwhile, vitamin A aids immune health, bone formation, reproductive health, and more.

Where to find it: Virtually any grocery store, market, or roadside vendor. Pumpkins will also be on wide display at many of these upcoming events.

Five pumpkin recipes:

1. White Bean and Pumpkin Hummus
via Cooking Light

Looking for a healthy dip this football season? Try this elevated take on hummus. Pumpkin lends fall spice, while white beans add a little bit of extra protein.

2. Southwestern Pumpkin Burgers
via Eating Well

This hearty, colorful recipe proves pumpkin can be the centerpiece of a savory meal. Serve the burgers on whole wheat buns, tortillas, or crumbled into a salad.

3. Pumpkin and Carrot Soup with Crispy Pancetta and Fried Sage
via The Iron You

This soup may be a bit labor-intensive up front, but it keeps well and produces many servings using relatively few ingredients. Best enjoyed snuggled up in a blanket, gazing at fall leaves.

4. Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie
via Wellness Mama

Yes, this recipe is technically a dessert. But since it uses honey, nuts, coconut milk, and coconut oil instead of refined sugar, dairy, and grains, this is an indulgence you can feel good about.

5. Pumpkin Chili
via Julia’s Album

What screams fall more than pumpkin chili? This recipe uses chickpeas and black beans for protein, so it’s a lightened-up, vegetarian-friendly take on the ground beef classic.