October 11, 1990 - The O'Lanterns, an American FamilyOctober 11, 1990 • The Suffolk Times C11
The O'Lanterns, an American Family
By Paul Stoutenburah
September and now October have
blessed us with exceptionally fine
weather. It seems almost as though the
weather is trying to make up for the
summer's loss of sunny days. When the
rain does come it's only an overnight
shower that freshens and revitalizes the
earth. Fall weather is something
special.
There was a time, if you lived out on
our East End, that you'd be busy har-
vesting the crops and getting ready for
winter. But today most hardly know of
those busy times except for the remain-
der that our roadside stands bring with
their harvest of potatoes, onions,
cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, squash
and, of course, the star of the season
the pumpkin.
The ancestors of these huge fruits go
back 1,500 years to the cave dwellers of
Mexico. The remains of cultivated
pumpkins have been found in the and
homesites of these early dwellers. They
must have been highly prized because
most foodstuffs in those early days were
small and the size of the pumpkins
must have delighted those who gathered
them.
When Columbus set foot on this side
of the world, pumpkins had already been
part of our native Indians' cultivated
crops. Seeing that these big yellow -or-
ange fruits can do well in partial shade,
they were planted amongst the corn by
the Indians. When the colonists arrived
they followed this way of planting.
Even today in some fields pumpkins
can be seen growing amongst the corn.
Most pumpkins have bristly stems,
leaves and buds. With them are the now
useless tendrils that once in a distant
past must have been used to cling like a
vine but forfeited that ability when the
huge fruits were created that kept their
vines earthbound.
Seeds to the Old World
Thumbing through Dr. Sturtevant's
"Notes on Edible Plants" published in
1919, I find that present types of pump-
kins were all recorded in the Old World
since the 15th century, and were not
recorded before the 14th. He concludes
that there must have been a connection
between the discovery of America and
the time of the appearance of pumpkins
and squashes in Europe.
Before today's easy living, pumpkins
were an important food for a growing
America. Yet there are few who use
fresh pumpkin as a food. Thank good-
ness for those who do because they are
the true believers in "Waste not, want
not." To that end, John Greenleaf Whit-
tier in his poem carried that thought:
What moistens the lips and
brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the
rich pumpkin pie?
Yet, I cannot begrudge a pumpkin
that is used for a jack -o'- lantern. My
Focus on
Nature
earliest experience with Halloween's
jack -o'- lanterns goes back to when I
was very, very young and had a candlelit
jack -o'- lantern. My problem was I
couldn't see the big smiling face in the
daylight and so, being a bit inventive,
decided to find a place where it was dark.
A closet would do but that was so small
and cluttered that my pumpkin and I
couldn't fit in at one time. So I looked
further.
It just so happened that in our living
room there was my dad's overstuffed
chair and, in those days, anything worth
keeping had a slipcover over it that
went down to the floor. Now, by lifting
the slipcover, there was a dark,
beckoning area that I could slip my
candlelit pumpkin into, which I
promptly did. Lying on the floor, I
watched my jack -o'- lantern in all its
glory under the big stuffed chair.
There Goes the Chair
Now, how should a young boy know
that excelsior was used in those days in
the rough stuffing of the bottom of
chairs, and that excelsior was very
flammable? Well, the next thing I re-
member I was calling for every boy's
savior, "Mom! Mom! Come quick!
Dad's chair's on fire!"
It just so happened Mom was doing
the noonday dishes and when she saw
what her darling had done she acted
quickly. The chair was overturned and
the dishpan of soapy water, plates, sil-
ver and all, was thrown on the blazing
chair. No need to tell you what hap-
pened after that. I remember that part
very clearly.
From the original pumpkin that our
Native Americans once used in their
cornfields to today's pumpkins, there
has been a lot of experimentation with
size, color, texture and resistance to dis-
ease. Pumpkins, like their close rela-
WEST MILL FUELS INC.
C.O.D.
Please call
for
current prices.
• Automatic scheduling.
• Premium diesel fuel
• Plus tax as applicable.
• Prices subject to change
without notice.
- Burner Service available.
298-5146
76 Tirdvoak6r / S C
Tvay&ngfor &e'Birder"
North Road, Southold, 765 -5872
Open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Gifts • Binoculars •Books
; �,. � , ,.e Fgedgr . ••.H,ops,��,p
�+...T �... TN�<►' lyy/ M.-----. .- �,
---------------- _---
._._._
KVADSIDE STAND —It's that time of year when everyone shops for
his or her particular pumpkin. Few realize that pumpkins are one of our
native fruits dating back more than 1,500 years.
tives the squashes, can be genetically
created to almost anyone's desire. Even
the pesky late mildew that ruins so
many plants can be almost eliminated.
Pumpkins keep well if you give them
a chance by drying them in a warm area
for about a week or 10 days. This hard-
ens their soft covering and seals the
pumpkin in. This comes in handy when
thinking of making pumpkin pie or
even pumpkin bread later on. As men-
tioned above, pumpkins have been ge-
netically altered to produce a wide vari-
ety, some specifically designed for the
canning industry. These pumpkins pro-
duce large crops and a size that makes
harvesting easy. It is this pumpkin that
most of today's cooks use from cans to
make today's pumpkin pies.
No fall would be complete without
pumpkins, whether they go in to the
old- fashioned pies or jack -o'- lanterns.
They signify something truly
American, a part of our heritage that is
particularly noticeable in our roadside
stands out here on the East End.
MATTITUCK- CUTCHOGUE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Mattituck, New York 11952 • (516) 298 -8460
ADULT EDUCATION
The Mattituck- Cutchogue Adult Education Program is designed to
serve the needs of the community and its continuing dedication to
"lifelong learning" opportunities. The course offerings this fall of 1990
are designed to be both enjoyable and informative. We invite you to
participate.
COURSE OFFERINGS
Aerobics - Low Impact: Mrs. Galvin
Beginnig Polish: Mrs. Helena Lipski
Business Aspects - Keyboarding, Bookkeeping: Mrs. Kayton
Commercial Driver License Test Preparation: Tri -State Safety
Consultants
Defensive Driving Course (10% insurance reduction): D.I.P.
Family Insurance, Choice, Chance, Control: Mrs. Rehm, A.A.I.
Family Law - Wills, Trusts, Real Estate, Financial Planning:
Jos. H. Gibbons, Esq.
German for the Traveler: Mrs. B. Gibbons
Hatha Yoga - Continuing: Mrs. Fleischer
Self Defense - Karate: Mr. Massa
Travel Tips: Mrs. Denezzo
Classes start Monday October 22, 1990
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Please register promptly. All classes must reach their minimum en-
rollment at least one day prior to the start dates or they will be
canceled. Classes are open to anyone 18 years or older. Juniors
and seniors may take classes provided space is available and the
instructor approves.
For additional information and registration contact the high school
,91fice at
r,