Beans and pumpkin

In the 1970s we had for about 3 years a family come to see us in September. The couple in their late 50s had a couple of Sons, unfortunately both had learning difficulties and were difficult to control. The Mother couldn't control them at all but her Husband could.
 The first year he came to the counter and gave my Mother a bunch of runner beans and told her they had won first prize at their local Allotment show in Newark.
  The second year once again in September they came and again bought my Mother a bunch of runner beans. This time he told her a tale. He said that he had won the best in show with his runner beans ever since he had entered the competition so about 5 years ago he decided to donate a cup for the best runner beans in the show but insisted that the winner of the runner beans could not also win the best in show. He then said to my Mother that the cup had been on his piano ever since he donated it.
 We saw them just one more year and guessed that the lads had become too unruly that they had to be sent to a special home.
 In October around that time a man in working gear walked into our place with a Hessian sack, out he pulled a pumpkin. He told us that he had a good year with so many pumpkins that he had decided to give away to each restaurant and cafe a pumpkin and he wanted nothing for it. He told us he wasn't stopping and off he went. Incidentally we never saw him again.
 Well my Mother asked me what I was going to do with the pumpkin and I told her we would put it on for the lunch together with potatoes and garden peas(frozen). As we both had never had a pumpkin before I sliced it in half. The inside was full of seeds. If anyone has had a marrow, although it is totally a different shape the interior is similar. I scooped the seeds out of one half, peeled the skin off to leave the fleshy part. My Mother looked on and asked me how I was going to prepare and cook it. I told her I would cook it like a swede, dice and season it and when cooked mash it up.
 To be honest it turned out much better than I expected, had it failed I had a back up. As it was October we only had a dozen or so customers and they were mostly representatives (reps) selling goods and they used to meet in mine and discuss how things were going.
 All ate it up but only 1 asked what the vegetable was. When we informed him that it was pumpkin he said he had no idea but enjoyed it. I never had another pumpkin, to be honest you hardly ever saw a pumpkin in those days. Halloween was not celebrated at all. It was Bonfire Night with fireworks on November 5th. the night before it was Mischievous Night.
 What made me mention this was that my American friend told me what they had for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I couldn't wish him a Happy Thanksgiving as my computer was broke. He gave me a short list of what he had. Amongst the items was a pumpkin pie so I asked him if it was the same as our pumpkin. He assured me that it was a vegetable and then told me how it was made.

 First was a can of puréed pumpkin, incidentally I have never seen any puréed pumpkin, if any one who reads this has please let me know. He went on to say that it was put in a pastry base similar to our cheesecake. With the pumpkin  purée was added sugar salt cinnamon cloves and evaporated milk. It is then refrigerated and served with sweetened heavy cream. 

 His photo of a portion of pumpkin pie was brilliant, nothing like my attempts to take photos. He He He but I keep persevering. 

  Now days in October pumpkins are so plentiful, not I think as a vegetable but as an adornment for Halloween More soon.