Gorging on the Gourd of the Gods (Blog Post #50!)

Midnight Halloween night marked the end of the Third Annual Pumpkin Challenge! And no time of the year am I more self-congratulatory than during the conclusion of the year’s Pumpkin Challenge. (One must be when so many see only silliness in that which gives one's little life purpose for a month-and-a-half each year.) Congratulations Self! You knocked last year's (virtually unopposed) record right out of the water!

Granola with pumpkin seed*, Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and walnuts, Pumpkin pasta with mushroom and sausage*, Ginger pumpkin mousse, Savory pumpkin quiche, Pumpkin butter, Pumpkin ravioli, Curried pumpkin peanut soup, Pumpkin dumplings, Chocolate-covered fig with pumpkin ganache filling, Pumpkin-spiced marshmallow, Pumpkin cheesecake*, Pumpkin ice cream*, Pumpkin pancakes, Pumpkin praline bars, Pumpkin doughnuts, Pumpkin-turkey goulash, Pumpkin cream cheese muffin*, Pumpkin pecan cheesecake*, Pumpkin mascarpone pie, Trinidad spiced pumpkin, Pumpkin bread pudding*, Pumpkin saag, Pumpkin butterhorn, Pumpkin curry, Spiced pumpkin chocolate truffle, Curry pumpkin seeds, Sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds, Chocolate covered pumpkin seeds, Pumpkin spice cake

*Items also consumed in the 2006 or 2007 Pumpkin Challenges. Maker of product also matches.Italicized items were my homemade by yours truly. Need any recipes?

For those of you keeping count, I consumed 30 different varieties of pumpkin foods this year, a remarkably high number given the fact that so comparatively few were repeat items from previous years!

This year, my quest inspired more people to branch out and try adventurous pumpkin concoctions than in previous years. I also had more people rooting me on. And again this year, several people shared their recipes to me. That being said, the MVP award--or should I say MVPP, "Most Valuable Pumpkin Provider"--goes to Rebecca my co-worker, co-volunteer at 826 Seattle , and Marisa’s Ice Cream field reporter. In addition to providing many fascinating links, she also brought me pumpkin saag for lunch one day, proving that autumnal squash is not only tasty, but also brings people together.