Fall has set in early this year bringing with it damp skies and rain. Sniffles, sneezes, and warm socks are in rage and the temperature has dipped low enough to turn the heating on. It‘s not the nicest weather and we are indulging in hearty stews to keep ourselves warm. Strangely, most of the autumn vegetables are not in the market yet, so the merry summer flowers, blood red geraniums are still blooming riotously and trees seem to be unable to decide whether to change colours or not. They stand mute in their wet half green-gold foliage while the fallen autumn leaves create a scanty carpet. The landscape seems devoid of all colour, with only the plump pumpkins adding dashes of saffron gold. Thankfully, the German Farmers’ markets are full of these fall goodness and I have already made creamy pumpkin soup thrice this month.
Table of Contents

Pumpkin and squash can be for summer and winter.    PhotoCredit – Albunarium
 The journey of pumpkin from North America to Europe

KĂ¼rbis boom is a recent growing trend in Germany.    Photo Credit – Tarek Abulzahab
 Festival celebrating the pumpkin love in Germany

Pumpkin is a North American native, brought to Europe by early settlers.     Photo Credit – Tarek Abulzahab
 Pumpkin‘s secret reason for the popularity in Germany

The gorgeous acorn squash is a very popular pumpkin.    Photo Credit – Tarek Abulzahab
KĂ¼rbis – Rahmsuppe (Creamy Pumpkin Soup)
What you need –
- 5 lbs Pumpkin (just the meat. No seeds or rind)
- 2 Â medium Onions
- 5 tablespoons Butter
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 6 cups Chicken Broth (optional)
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Pinch of Nutmeg
Procedure
- Cut the pumpkin into small cubes. Finely chop the onions.
- In a large pot, melt the butter. Add onions and cook until transparent. Add sugar and mix until it has dissolved and melted slightly.
- Add pumpkin and cook 15-20 minutes. Add seasonings like parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Add the chicken broth (if using skip adding extra salt) and half of the sour cream.
- Allow mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Puree the soup in a blender until smooth.
- Add additional seasoning if necessary.
- Pour soup into individual-sized bowls.
- Swirl in some sour cream into each serving and serve hot with crusty bread.
Bon Appetit!

Creamy pumpkin soup with a dollop of fresh cream.             Photo Credit – Wilsonsfruits

Pumpkin harvest in Spreewald in Germany.         Photo Credit – Daily Mail

The colour of autumn is pumpkin orange.          Photo Credit – Tarek Abulzahab

Pumpkin seed bread and brötchen are very popular in Germany.   Photo Credit – Baecker Becker
P.S – This blog post is part of the weekly series called the Cologne Diaries. Every week, Maverickbird will take on a new theme, emotion, and beauty of expat life in Cologne.
What other bloggers have to say about pumpkins and autumn in Germany – Melanie Fontaine, Oh God My Wife is German
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