Pumpkins pumpkins everywhere

[Woody girl]

I planted four plants this spring and harvested eighteen lovely baby bear pumpkins. I have pureed and pickled souped frozen roasted swopped given away and sold most. Now Halloween is over nobody seems to want them anymore. There is no room in the freezer. I'm going to have to buy more kilner jars for other projects such as chutneys that I plan to make with other produce. I was wondering if I could make veg leather. Has anyone tried? Any other ideas? I have five left,all about one and a bit kilos each. I live on my own so I think I have preserved most of what I normally use in a year..then some. I'm after different ideas.

 

[Robson Valley]

Be careful what you wish for!
For decades, I have baked and eaten Hallowe'en pumpkin and the seeds. Kid tested and kid approved.
I never, ever had a problem feeding this to my kids when they were little.
Fights about who got the most. Tears if we ran out. Not much for Daddy.

Spread the seeds and muck on paper. Clean the seeds a little and soak for 2 hrs in 1C water + 1/4C plain salt.
Spread on a sheet pan and roast in a preheated oven at 350F. Watch! They brown and burn easily.
Normally, the seed coats are so thin that you can eat them whole.

Cut the flesh into large slabs. Score a 1/2" dice with a knife point but don't puncture the skin.
Rub well with butter and sprinkle heavily with brown sugar.
(one of these years, I'm going to use molasses (treacle?) on a few pieces.)
Next, sprinkle heavily with cinnamon, cheap stuff is good, a lot of the aroma blows off in cooking.
Onto a sheet pan into a preheated oven at 350F. Might take 40 minutes.
I'll poke it with a fork as it softens.

Fruit leather: I don't see why not. Just slab the flesh like you are making jerky.
Cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar for seasoning?

Before I forget: Some years back, I was taken to a fruit winery. Annoyed as I felt obliged to buy something at ridiculous prices. I bought 2 bottles of pumpkin wine. Yes, I did. You don't need to ever do that at all. The world is better off without pumpkin-flavored wines.

 

[Janne]

You can make pickled pumpkin.

If you want to try before you do some, pop into a store that sells ethnic Polish food and get a jar.

 

[Woody girl]

That pumpkin wine sound a bit like my Pea pod wine. Yes the world is much better off without my pea pod wine. The general consensus was that there were no pods in it... just pea!

 

[Woody girl]

You can make pickled pumpkin.

If you want to try before you do some, pop into a store that sells ethnic Polish food and get a jar.

Got 8 jars of pickled pumpkin! I used white wine vinegar cinnamon and cloves and lemon. Smells wonderful can't wait to try it.

 

[Janne]

No sugar? On minland Europe we add sugar too, to red beets, gherkin, funghi.

Makes it more mellow. Of course, the taste buds like different flavours!

 

[Woody girl]

Oh yes forgot I did put in sugar too.

 

[Janne]

I wish I lived close to you, so I could sneak in and liberate a jar or two.....

 

[Woody girl]

I wish I lived close to you, so I could sneak in and liberate a jar or two.....

Ah sweetie you wouldn't have to sneak in. I'd let you have one with pleasure. Bit difficult to post you one due to post office regulations nowadays tho. Shame .

 

[slowworm]

If the pumpkins are ripe then they should keep for several months as they are, if kept dry and cool.

 

[Woody girl]

Hi slowworm. I have the 3 biggest in store. I don't think I'll need more as I live on my own. Realy I'm looking for ideas of what I can do with the remaining 5. I've done pickled pumpkin. Pies puree frozen some. I'm looking as to how I can use then up before they go bad or I will have a smelly mess of pumpkins in a few months time I'm gonna be looking like a pumpkin at this rate! Roasted some tarmari coated seeds this afternoon. I'm gonna try different flavours for the seeds as well as just plain ones.

 

[Robson Valley]

A little oil in a deep pot. Very little. Start to stir-fry the seeds. Add some sprinkles of curry powder and stir.
Add a big sdprinkle of salt and a bunch of squirts of soya sauce for glue to get the curry powder and salt to stick to the seeds.
Bake 10 minutes or less at 350F on a sheet pan.

Walnuts and pecans are better because they have grooves to hold the salt & curry powder

 

[Janne]

Pumpkin jam? Add some lemon/lime/orange/satsumas zest for a more 'interesting flavor

 

[Broch]

They make impressive shotgun targets at the right ripeness and with the right cartridge!

I'll get my coat

 

[Woody girl]

They make impressive shotgun targets at the right ripeness and with the right cartridge!

I'll get my coat

Bit hard to barter a dead pumpkin ! Tho I'm beginning to like the idea. My back is aching from standing at the counter peeling and chopping. I'm dreaming of those flipping orange orbs.! The jam is one down this also gave me the idea of chutney so we have 3 left. Plenty of barter goodies there..3 more ideas and inspiration promise I'll shut up

 

[Janne]

Give one to the neighbour?
Personally through the front door if you like him, stealthily through a window if you do not....

 

[Toddy]

If you de-seed it and peel it, then cut the pieces in chunks about a bit over an inch square-ish, then melt some butter in a saute pan or deep frying pan, and stir fry them in the butter. Add some brown sugar, and keep stirring, it'll sort of caramelise as it cooks in the jus and buttery mix.
Put that at the bottom of an ashet (deepish pie dish/lasagne dish) and spice it as you like. Add crumble mix, sprinkle with more brown sugar, and bake until the crumble's done and golden brown. (Rolled oats and flaked almonds in the crumble mixture works really well with this, sort of a crunch to the soft stuff beneath, iimmc ? )
Custard is awfully good with crumble though I think this is now the third thread this week to mention custard. Must be that time of year

 

[Broch]

Custard is awfully good with crumble though I think this is now the third thread this week to mention custard. Must be that time of year

I love custard (the real thing even more), but I do remember a scout camp when I was a nipper when the Skip forgot the sugar - cooking apple and custard with no sugar was inedible

 

[Woody girl]

Give one to the neighbour?
Personally through the front door if you like him, stealthily through a window if you do not....

Already pumkined the neighbours out!

 

[Broch]

Already pumkined the neighbours out!

Yeh, it's a bit like apples at this time of year isn't it?