Processing Pumpkins

Happy October the Season of Pumpkins!  I am amazed at how many people buy pumpkins to carve for Jack-o-lanterns and then throw them away!  Raised on the practice of an annual pumpkin processing day for the Thanksgiving pies, it is a custom that I continue to this day.  I do not mind treats made from canned pumpkin, it is just a different taste.  Once you learn to cook and bake with fresh pumpkin, you will see just how easy it is – and how much better it tastes!

I tried something different this year; researching Latte recipes inspired me to make my own Pumpkin Spiced Simple Syrup.  This syrup, used for the famous Pumpkin Lattes is also very yummy on ice-cream, waffles and even in my oatmeal.  My motive for this recipe? - to use the freshest ingredients.

The cutting of the first pumpkin of the season deserves some ceremony.  It marks the beginning of a new season.  The shift in weather invites the steamy boiling and baking and the accompanied wonderful smells drifting through out the house from the kitchen.  I like to set aside a Saturday morning to start this project.

First, I open the pumpkin, cutting it in half.  Then a large spoon is useful for scooping out the insides.  The seeds I plop into a colander for rinsing and cleaning off the “guts” of the pumpkin.  Thin slices of about one third of this pumpkin are set aside for my syrup, the rest I will cut into thick slices for baking – the pulp later used for other recipes.

Gathering spices for my recipe, I thinly slice fresh ginger root into about four slices and shave off small pieces of a whole nutmeg.  Six whole cloves and four large cinnamon sticks complete the spice choices while adding a couple of pieces of whole vanilla bean to the assortment of ingredients.

I assemble 3 cups of sugar (stored in a mason jar with whole vanilla beans for one month), 21/2 cups of water, the pumpkin slices and the spices into a big heavy saucepan and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes.

While the syrup is boiling, I rinse the pumpkin seeds and I add about 2 cups of water and 1/3 cup of sea-salt in a small saucepan to the clean seeds.  This mixture needs to boil and then simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes.  The larger pumpkin pieces I place side down in a shallow Pyrex baking pan to bake for about an hour at 325 degrees.  This pumpkin I will scoop out of the shell when cooled and loosely pack into mason jars for freezing.

 

The syrup bubbles through the simmer time and it takes a long time for it to cool before straining the liquid into bottles.  Once cooled, I remove the slices of pumpkin and ginger and place them on a shallow baking pan.  The syrup will keep about 1 month in the refrigerator.  The sugary slices dry in an oven at 175 degrees for about 3 to 4 hours and the result will be "candied" pumpkin and ginger slices to use as garnish or just to eat as a sweet treat.

The pumpkin seeds are done simmering and I drain the saltwater off and pour the seeds into a shallow baking pan, scattering them into a single layer.  They will slow roast in a 200-degree oven for about 21/2 hours.

At the end of my day, I have processed my pumpkins 4 ways.  I am ready for Fall!

Slow Food: the new Fast Food

Everyday conversation points to the changes occurring due to the recent economic downturn and it seems there is a collective shift in how we think is the result. Budgets, travel plans, careers and even the choices we make in the food we eat are affected. Consideration for different ways of going about daily life are implemented and discussed as the sharing of information spurs even more thought. We all had such prevalent habits before, routines that just became ordinary actions, given little thought.

Slow Food was a term little known during the months and years behind us. Sustainable living not much thought about… and buying local hardly practiced. New ideas are starting to make some sense while our quest to save money and fight disease become more important. It is alarming to note the increasing number of food poisoning incidences and the current news about tainted foods becoming more common. The ultimate control is to grow and prepare our own food. The old habits of fast food for every meal are clearly changing. Are we finally slowing down and thinking more about the effects of our choices?

What could be “faster food” than picking an orange off the tree before rushing out the door? Or grabbing a handful of nuts from a jar, or grabbing a banana out of the fruit bowl? The time it takes to cut some celery or carrots is hardly cause for a major delay and yet it has taken such monumentous circumstances to reevaluate just how we should nourish ourselves. Minds are opening and new ways of going about the ordinary aspects of a given day promise a return to what is wholesome and good.

I am encouraged to notice that taking time for the growing and preparing of food has become the new trend. Victory Gardens flourish and the Farmer’s Markets are buzzing with sales. Slow Food is becoming the new Fast Food!