The demonic origin of 'Jack* revealed
■The truth behind the
candle-in-the-pumpkin shows
devilish beginnings
Pumpkins are magically trans
formed into Jack O’Lanterns for
Halloween. We bake them into
pumpkin pie. Tales of terror have
also used pumpkins to create an
eerie atmosphere. So how did the
pumpkin become associated with
Halloween? Well the answer is
in the tale of an unfortunate i
soul named Jack. M
According to Irish folk- /
lore, a man named Jack, m
well known for his drunk- m
enness and quick temper, w
got very drunk at a local K
pub one fateful All Hal- ylll
lows Eve. As his life began W
to slip away the Devil ap- »
peared to claim Jack's soul. i|
Jack, eager to retain his w
life, begged the Devil to let B
him have just one more %
drink before he died. The %
Devil agreed. Jack was short
of money and asked the Devil ij
if he wouldn’t mind assuming '
the shape of a sixpence so Jack
could pay for the drink and after
the transaction the Devil could
change back.
Seeing how the Devil is quite
gullible in almost all of these folk
tales, he agreed again to help Jack
out and changed himself into a six
pence. Jack immediately grabbed
the coin and shoved it into his
wallet, which just happened to
have a cross-shaped catch on it.
The Devil, now imprisoned in
the wallet screamed with rage and
ordered Jack to release him.
Jack agreed to free the Devil
from his wallet if the Devil agreed
not to bother Jack for a whole year.
Again, the Devil agreed to Jack's
terms. Realizing he now had a new
lease on life, at least
again Jack, not too eager to die, dis
tracted the devil by pointing to a
nearby apple tree. Jack convinced
the Devil to get an ap
ple out of the
tree and
even of
fered
ways.
For a
time Jack
was good to his
wife and children and be
gan to attend church and give to
charity. Eventually, though, Jack
slipped back into his evil ways.
The next All Hallows Eve, just
as Jack was heading home, the
Devil appeared and demanded
that Jack accompany him. Once
t o
oist
Devil
his
help
him get the apple. The Dev
il, fooled once again by Jack,
Climbed into the tree and plucked
an apple. Jack took out a knife and
carved a cross into the trunk of the
tree. Trapped once again the Devil
howled to be released and told
Jack he would give him 10 years of
peace in exchange for his release.
Jack, on the other hand, insisted
the Devil never bother Jack again.
The Devil agreed and was released.
Almost a year later Jack's body ,
unable to keep up with Jack's evil
ways, gave out and Jack died.
When Jack tried to enter Heaven
he was told that because of his
meanness he would not be al
lowed into Heaven. When Jack at
tempted to gain entry into Hell, the
Devil, still smarting from years of
humiliation, refused Jack ad
mission. However, being the
kind demon that he was, the
Devil threw Jack a piece of
coal to help him find his
way in the dark of limbo.
Jack placed the piece of
coal in a turnip, which
then became known as a
Jack O'Lantern. Each All
Hallows Eve, if you look
closely, you can still see
Jack's flame burning dimly
as he searches for a home.
The use of Jack O'Lanterns
as festival lights for Hal
loween is a custom that de
scended from the Irish who used
carved out turnips or beets as
lanterns. On Halloween, these
lights represented the souls of the
dead or goblins freed from the
dead. When the Irish emigrated to
America they could not find many
turnips to carve into Jack
O'Lanterns but they did find an
abundance of pumpkins. Pump
kins seemed to be a suitable substi
tute for the turnips, and have since
become an essential part of Hal
loween celebrations.
This report was featured in Halloween
Magazine. You can find more stories at
www.halloweenmagazine.com
The culinary genius of leftover pumpkin guts
By Tammy Rome
Healthy Instinct
You’ve carved that pumpkin into
a gruesome Jack-O-Lantern and
now you have a gooey clump of or
ange flesh in a bowl on your
kitchen counter. Please don't tell
me you already sent it down the
garbage disposal! You’re probably
wondering, “Why, I can’t do any
thing with it?” Ah, but that’s where
you’re wrong!
Anything you can make with
canned pumpkin you can make
healthier with fresh pumpkin. Just
substitute 2 cups of fresh pumpkin
for any recipe calling for a 16-ounce
can of pumpkin. Just in case you’re
stumped, here are a few ideas to get
you started.
Baked Pumpkin Seeds
- Remove pulp and string, then
rinse the seeds well.
- Place in a single layer on an un
greased cookie sheet
- Preheat your oven to 325°F and
bake for 15-20 minutes or until
seeds are dry and light brown (for
crispier seeds, bake 30-40 minutesj
- Salt to taste (also great without
salt)
- Use as a healthy kid snack or stain
with food coloring and use to dec
orate jack-o-lanterns, costumes,
other treats, etc. Your imagination
is your only limit!
Pumpkin Fruit RollUps
- Chop pumpkin and cook in
saucepan until soft. Use as little
water as possible. Puree in blender
or food processor until the consis
tency of thick applesauce.
- Add 1 cup honey and 1 tsp.
pumpkin pie spice to mixture. Mix
well.
- Spread puree on a cookie sheet
lined with waxed paper (tape wax
paper down so it won't curl over
the pumpkin), leaving a 1-2 inch
border around the edge.
- Preheat oven to 275°F and bake
for 30-35 minutes. Turn off oven
and leave door closed, letting the
pumpkin dry 8-10 hours.
- When cooled to the touch, roll up
and cut into 1-inch wide strips.
Seal in Ziplock bags and serve as a
yummy, inexpensive alternative to
commercial Fruit RollUps!
- OR leave flat and use Halloween
shaped cookie cutters to cut into
fun holiday shapes.
Tammy’s Famous Pumpkin Pie
2 eggs
2 cups fresh pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves
12 oz. evaporated milk
*Spices are best if freshly ground
rather than store-bought.
Pour into Flaky Pie Crust. Heat
oven to 425°F, bake 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350°F and bake
40-50 minutes.
Pie is done when knife is insert
ed into the middle of pie and comes
out clean.
Flaky Pie Crust
1/3 cup plus 1 tbs. shortening
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2-3 tbs cold water
Blend shortening, flour and salt
together. Add cold water and mix
well with CLEAN hands-utensils
just don’t do as well.
Roll dough out with rolling pin
(well-covered in flour) on a flat,
floured surface. TIP: a cold rolling
pin works best, so I keep mine re
frigerated at all times.
Place glass pie pan on top of
dough and then turn both over at
the same time. Pat into place. Pinch
off excess dough, then pinched
dough all around pan edge for a
“fluted” look (keeps you from hav
ing a thick, heavy crust on the
edges).
Do not bake crust alone unless
using for chocolate, lemon
meringue, etc.
To bake, use a fork to poke holes
in the bottom of the crust, heat oven
to 475°F and bake 8-10 minutes.
Have a happy, healthy and safe
Halloween!
/fowled
GR/a
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