It could be said that pumpkins are to autumn, what pine or fir trees are to Christmas.At this time of year you can’t help but be bombarded by images of pumpkins, from displays in shop windows to television shows like Pumpkin Wars on HGTV.But these large orange vegetables aren’t just for use as decorations and carvings; local farmer Martha Olander believes it should be a regular addition on local dinner tables.She has been eagerly growing the 35 to 40lb vegetables in her garden for the past few years and is always singing their nutritional praises.“[Sometimes people want to know] what are the benefits of eating pumpkin and I was looking on the internet and it’s amazing. For example they say it has a lot of carotenoids especially with the orange colour which are good for your eyes and your skin; it also has minerals and vitamin C, which are essential for you. It also has magnesium which is good for teeth and bones, especially for the children who are still growing.“It has potassium, fibre and it’s very low in calories so you don’t grow fat because you are eating pumpkin. It’s also a diuretic and flushes toxins from your body.“It’s good for people who have depression, it contains L-tryptophans which makes you happy. For me everything is there, it’s a nice flavour and you don’t have to fight with the children to eat it.”Mrs Olander, who is originally from Costa Rica, said she has always had a passion for farming, but admitted it wasn’t a business that women were typically involved in while growing up.They always had lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in her household and her mother Rosalia would often roast pumpkin seeds for a special treat for the children.Mrs Olander had no idea at that time how nutritious the seeds themselves were, but now understands just a quarter cup provides almost half of the daily required magnesium and a good serving of protein and iron.When she arrived to the Island in 1995, she said she found it “very disappointing” to see the limited amount of fresh vegetables available.“When I first came here I was struggling with the fruits and vegetables in Bermuda and especially the green vegetables. I was like ‘there’s all this land here why not start something?’“I started gardening and decided to do more organic [produce]. I didn’t like to use pesticides because I didn’t feel well with those things.”She said pumpkins were one of the easiest crops to grow on the Island, though you do have to be wary of pests like fireworms. Mrs Olander said she uses natural ingredients like garlic, peppers and chrysanthemums to keep insects and worms at bay.The mother said it was important for her to give people foods which are safe to eat and haven’t been treated with chemicals.“It’s a very funny thing because I was talking to a group of ladies one day and told them how every day I have to go around the land and check for worms. One of them said ‘You are never going to be rich because you spend so much time on what you do’.“It’s true I won’t have a lot of money, but I am happy with what I do and when you put it on your plate I know it’s healthy and nothing will damage their lives.”She said she has never seen pumpkins this big and sells them every Friday, near Kindley Field in St George’s. Mrs Olander said the vegetable item was very popular this month, as the weather starts getting cooler and people looked to have more hearty, warm meals.“It’s very interesting because everyone has a different type of recipe,” she said. “The Jamaicans [I know] like to do a fry but I just like to make soup and roast it in the oven with a little bit of butter and it’s amazing the flavour you get. It’s the best way to cook the pumpkin because you [don’t lose] all the vitamins and things.”At her house, she makes a thick soup by steaming the pumpkin with garlic, then blending in heavy cream or milk and seasoning with salt and pepper and a helping of fresh cilantro.Sometimes she adds different flavours like ginger, cumin and onions, but said people can cater it to their personal preferences.Pumpkin can even be used in simple desserts, Mrs Olander said. “In Costa Rica my mother added brown sugar and cooked the pumpkin and made it a sweet. She would cut it in little pieces with the skin on and it was very good.”She also grows vegetables like carrots, collard greens, kales, broccoli, beets, eggplant, tomatoes and onions; and fruits like pawpaws and bananas at her farm in St David’s.–