Among the fallen leaves and damp wood, the late summer fruits shine bright orange, deep green, creamy white or streaked yellow. Pumpkin is one of humanity’s oldest cultivated plants and is enjoying new appreciation. Anyone who grows or buys it regionally will discover an almost forgotten variety that is difficult to find anymore at the weekly market or in the supermarket.
Vital substances from the harvest basket
The pumpkin in the natural garden: much more than simple decoration
Pumpkins love sun, humus-rich soil and a long growing season. If you have enough space in your garden, you can start pre-growing in spring. The old varieties are particularly robust, require little care, suppress weeds with their large leaves and are excellent for use with wild herbs such as Nasturtium, Marigold OR Chamomile underplant. The harvest reaches its peak between late summer and early autumn. Now is the time to let the fruits ripen well so that they can be stored for a long time. It is important that the stem remains woody and intact; so many varieties will last until February if stored in a cool, dry place.
Autumn inspiration in our Wildkräuter magazine
Pumpkin as a medicinal plant
What many people don’t know is that pumpkin is much more than just a nutritious vegetable. Orange varieties in particular contain beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, important for the skin, mucous membranes and the immune system. The seeds (e.g. of oil pumpkin) provide a high-quality oil with anti-inflammatory and hormone-regulating properties, particularly appreciated in natural medicine to support the prostate and bladder. Pumpkin pulp is rich in potassium, magnesium, iron and is easily digestible. It is therefore ideal for heating autumn dishes, but also for delicate and light foods, for example as a soup with fresh ginger, wild herbs such as meadow button or dost or as baked vegetables with apple slices and rosemary.
Tip for those who are elf-sufficient: pumpkin as a storage plant
Pumpkins are ideal for preservation, not only as a fruit to preserve but also in cooking. You can boil them, dry them or puree them. Particularly appreciated by us:
- Pumpkin cubes with apple cider vinegar and dill as a rich winter supply
- Hokkaido puree with wild herb salt and cinnamon for freezing
- Pumpkin bread with soil nuts AND Nettle powder
Preserving wild herbs in October
Now you should think about winter and process the wild plants that you can still find at this time. You can currently dry many plants, seal them tightly, and store them in a cool, dark place until you need them for home remedies in the darker season. You can find an overview of how to best preserve wild herbs with recipes in our book “Preserving wild herbs: the best methods and recipes“(available here), available in our shop www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de from
Pumpkin, ginger and microgreen soup
Preparation time: 50 minutes (including cooking time)
Ingredients for 4 people
- 500 g Hokkaido pumpkin
- 1 handful Broccoli Microgreens
- 2 onions
- 10 g of ginger
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 100 ml of orange juice
- Salt, pepper and galangal to taste
- Autumn delicacies such as fresh mushrooms, radishes or pomegranates paired with microgreens as a garnish
Wash the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut it into cubes. Then peel the onion and chop it finely. Heat the olive oil in a pan and lightly brown the onion. Add the pumpkin cubes and fry them briefly. Add the vegetable broth and let everything cook. In the meantime, peel and finely chop the ginger and add it to the soup with the orange juice. As soon as the pumpkin is soft, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly. In the meantime you can use the micro
Collect fresh vegetables, chop them finely and add them to the soup. Now blend with an immersion blender until no pieces remain.
If you prefer the soup to be less creamy you can also add a little more vegetable broth until you reach the desired consistency. Don’t forget to season again with galangal, pepper or salt. Decorate the pumpkin soup with fresh microgreens when serving. If you use fresh herbs or microgreens in hot dishes, you should always add them at the end and not cook them in hot dishes. Microgreens are best enjoyed fresh and raw to enjoy all the richness of nutrients and enzymes.
When life slows down, something completely new grows
Especially at this moment we feel how good it is to take matters into our own hands. To see something of yours grow. A small piece of nature that we accompany every day. Our Ceramic growing bowl that’s exactly what it’s made for. For all those who love the simple life. For all those who want to experience again how satisfying it is to harvest fresh vegetables with your own hands. Right at the window, in the middle of everyday life. Without land, without effort, just with a little water
In just 7 days, a tender, powerful mini vegetable will grow in your kitchen, so fresh it’s still alive when you cut it. And it is precisely this green that makes your pumpkin and ginger soup something special: a warming food. This is nutritious. And this reminds you how good it is to take care of yourself.
Discover the world of wild herbs and medicinal plants
In nature you can discover and collect large wild herbs and medicinal plants almost all year round. This can also be an important contribution to self-sufficiency. It is important for us that ancient knowledge about these plants is not lost. A certain level of knowledge is required to be able to confidently identify plants. Our book on wild herbs”With wild herbs and medicinal plants all year round“(available here) is ideal for all beginners and wild herb enthusiasts. Only local wild herbs are presented. We have documented them ourselves and will explain how to recognize them and use them even in the kitchen and in the medicine cabinet. You can also get our book in large format
Follow us also on YouTube
On our YouTube channel “Kräuterkeller” (easy Click here) you will find over 300 free educational videos on the topic of wild herbs and medicinal plants. Feel free to stop by and leave a comment!
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