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pumpkins, gourds, and mums
My pumpkins are still gracing my front porch. I know I should take them off, replace them with garland and twinkling lights. But I’m just not ready yet. I love the orange color, the round shape, the twisted stem.
And I’m not quite motivated to carry all the Christmas boxes out of my third floor storage.
But when I do take those pumpkins off the porch, they’ll be cleaned out, cut up and steamed till soft. I’ll scoop out the pumpkin flesh, puree it, and freeze it. Then, when the time is right, I’ll make….
pumpkin pie? pumpkin roll? one of those thousands of pumpkin pinterest recipes? Nope, I’ll make Aunt Marty’s Pumpkin Spice Soap.
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Aunt Marty's Pumpkin Spice Soap
I only make Aunt Marty’s Pumpkin Spice Soap from about September through December. It’s a spicy, burnt orange bar that is perfect for crisp fall days and warm steamy baths. The essential oil blend is high in ginger and spice oils. It smells like a spicy, yummy pumpkin pie.
So how and why would I use pumpkin in soap? First the why. Pumpkin is packed full of vitamin A and other great minerals and nutrients which are great for the skin. Pumpkin is thought to help fight wrinkles and to work as an anti-oxidant. As for the how, I freeze pumpkin puree blended with water, about half and half, in storage bags. When it’s time to make soap, I break the frozen pumpkin up with a hammer, open the bag, and mix the chunky pieces with my lye instead of plain water. Pumpkin holds up well against the power of lye and leaves the soap with a lovely and true burnt orange color.
The picture on my pumpkin soap label is of my Great-Great-Aunt Marty. She was born in Newport, Ohio, daughter of Henry Hasley of whom I wrote in a previous post. In the photo below, Aunt Marty is on the far right of the first row. Great-Great-Grandpa Henry is in the center. And my Great-Grandpa Wesley is standing on the far left in the second row.
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Wesley Hasley Family of Newport, Ohio
This is the only picture I have of Aunt Marty. We know little about her. She was born in 1863. She grew up farming for survival on rocky, hilly Appalachian soil near Newport, Ohio. She married at 18 in 1882. And here she is around 1900 looking so much older than her mid-30s. Some things I do know though, just by looking at this picture. Life was hard. She worked harder. And family was important.
So when I formulated my pumpkin soap, I did so in honor of Aunt Marty. I used one of the hardiest farming plants we have, the native pumpkin. It grows well in most any place as long as there’s sunlight. It stores well. Many an Appalachian relied on the pumpkin for feeding themselves and their stock.
Pumpkin, a hard working plant in honor of a hard working Appalachian.
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
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