It’s that time of the year when certain foods take the stage in a grand fashion. Fall ushers in a long season of iconic ingredients and homey, familiar dishes. Much has been said and written about and created with pumpkin. Maybe it’s because this famous gourd is the very color of the changing landscape. It makes you wonder: Is there anything new under the brilliant orange skin of the pumpkin?

When it comes to our taste buds, fads seem to come and go. One minute we are gushing and gorging on a new sensation, and the next we’re discarding it like an old pair of leg warmers. But pumpkins are like diamonds; they will forever be loved and treasured. Maybe it’s because we don’t feast on them all year long, so when their season returns, they bring to the table that wonderful combination of something new, yet remembered.

The pumpkin plant originated in Central America, but it has become tied to the history of our United States. We have a reverence for pumpkins that almost no other fruit or vegetable can claim. Most of us learned in school that pumpkins were introduced to early pilgrims by Native American Indians. They roasted long strips of pumpkin flesh over an open fire. Pumpkin, prepared as we know it now, came about much later.

The very first incarnation of the pie loved by a whole nation was a hollowed-out pumpkin filled with milk, honey and spices, then roasted. From there the pumpkin went viral, and the myriad ways we’ve found to slip it into a dish boggles the imagination.

Pumpkin does seem to make everything better. It’s good for you, and so versatile that it can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, including soups, pastas, breads and desserts. Pumpkins provide a hefty source of vitamin A, as well as being one of the tastiest forms of fiber. The beauty of the golden orange pumpkin is not only skin deep. That gorgeous color is an indicator of significant amounts of beta carotene, comparable to carrots, beets and sweet potatoes. Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein, minerals and fiber.

The seeds possess a rich buttery taste that lends itself well to pestos or salads, as a delicious candy brittle or as a crunchy snack when toasted and spiced.

So, ready, set, go — get your pumpkin and start cooking!

Visit Angela Shelf Medearis’ website at http://www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook and go to Hulu.com. Read Gina Harlow’s blog about food and gardening at http://www.peachesandprosciutto.com. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.