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THE PUMPKIN’S HEART:  Suzy Anderson sent this fantastic Hallowe’en pumpkin on which is written her associations with the season and her goals.

From Suzy Anderson to Theresa Williams

 

October 17, 2011

Dear Theresa, 

October has been quite the pumpkin month for me. Since my birthday is in October, pumpkins have always been associated with my birthday. This October I learned how to gut a pumpkin, cook it, and make puree. When I was a kid my parents would help us make jack o’lanterns, but until I worked with pumpkin myself I never expected there to be so many seeds and pulp to remove.

It’s a long process to work with pumpkin puree. When I was a kid I had canned pumpkin, so fresh is different—in both taste and look. First you have to cut it in half and remove the seeds and pulp. Then it needs to cook for about an hour (always longer with the ones I’ve used) so the flesh is soft. Put the hot pumpkin in the blender to puree it before freezing for use. 

When I made the puree I was kid again—pulling the pumpkin away from the skin. I never expected pumpkin to be so stringy. And it’s a messy, long process. But you know what? That’s what I enjoyed about it. I could take an hour and feel raw pumpkin on my hands before it encounters the spices for cooking. That’s one smell I’ve always associated with spiced pumpkin pie.

Luckily the puree turned out when I made bread and cookies. Some friends even commissioned me to make bread for them.

I am still working on your hat, but I should finish it soon. See you in class! 

Love,

Suzy

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