perfectly palatable pumpkin pleasures

The supermarkets are almost giving away pumpkins this year! The standard price seems to be one euro but I've seen even cheaper ones out there for only 45 cents. If only all seasonal vegetables were sold at such rates when it was their time of year, how happy I would be to have a bargain pear a day. Because I've recently mentioned the importance I place on buying local produce, be that from one's own county or country at a more feasible stretch, but what's even better is when this produce is recently grown. Our bodies should be naturally in tune with the farming season anyway, with our need for different vitamins at different times of the year. Think about sitting down to eat a cucumber salad in December... not half as appealing as the same would be in July. In the winter we instinctively want to fuel ourselves on hearty vegetables, high in the energies we need to protect ourselves from the cold climate. So what have I done but profited from this short period of the year wherein pumpkins are on the shop shelves and have been busy making pots of different soup variations.
As lovely and warming as soup is and as tasty as roasted pumpkin is on the side of a dinner plate, I wanted to make something more. Savoury muffins! Baked with wholemeal flour and flavoured with rosemary from our garden they're really rather satisfying(and I'm delighted my improvised paper cases didn't cremate) Nicest when eaten shortly after coming out of the oven but today a few seconds in the microwave and a dollop of butter squished in the middle was just as delicious.