Hard to believe that on thursday we were hiking in crisp, sunny fall weather. It’s been snowing here since Friday – the first big winter storm of the season. Winter storm in early October? You know what I am going to say – this is Montana. My family has spent the weekend catching up together after a hectic couple of weeks, nesting at home while the snow falls outside. We snuggled up by our first fire of the season, read lots of books and magazines, and I’ve been cooking up a storm. Despite the wintery weather, pumpkin has been the predominant theme. It may be snowing outside, but the calendar says October. I typically kick off my favorite couple of months with a big shift in the ingredients I use in my cooking, and nothing says fall more than an infusion of pumpkin. Pumpkin is rich is carotenoids, which neutralize free radicals, and beta-carotene, a potent antioxidant. Not up for skinning a fresh one? Canned pumpkin appears to have much more vitamin A than fresh-cooked pumpkin. This may be due to the fact that canned pumpkin has more water cooked out of it than boiled pumpkin, and the varieties used for canning have intense orange color, a sure sign of carotene. Pumpkin is a good source of fiber, and adds a little iron and folate to your diet too.