Pumpkin Butter Is Where It's At

Last week, I traveled up North to visit a farm that my family owned and operated for a few generations. I found old graves of ancestors, some of which were on the homestead. I also stopped at a few Amish stores. I purchased these pie pumpkins at the Amish store for half of what it would cost me at the grocery store. I was so excited to find nice pumpkins that were locally grown. When I brought them home, I had a plan to make pumpkin butter.

I began the pumpkin butter process by cutting, gutting and peeling the pumpkins. I saved the seeds for roasting, they were super tasty! Then, I diced the pumpkin meat and placed it in a large pot with water and boiled it until it as tender. Then, I drained the water and placed the pumpkin in a Crockpot and cooked it on low for 8 hours.

Next, I drained it some more, mashed it, added brown sugar, spices and apple cider then cooked it on high for an hour.

I gave the pumpkin a final mash before storing it in small containers.

My original plan was to can the pumpkin butter for preservation. However, after doing some internet research, I discovered that the USDA recommends that you NOT can pumpkin. Apparently, canned pumpkin is a dangerous experiment that can lead to the formation botulism. Since I am a novice when it comes to canning, I decided to stay safe a freeze my pumpkin butter instead. I think I like freezing way better; it is a lot less work and the process of sterilization and the hot bath is very nerve wracking. In the end, I had four 2 cup containers of pumpkin butter. It is so tasty on toast and on biscuits, it's a great Fall treat. This Sunday, I'll have to bake some anadama bread to enjoy with this pumpkin butter.

After all of that was done, I baked a cake, cleaned up a big mess in the kitchen and prepared for more traveling. I was going to touch on another topic within this post, but my butter got away from me. I'll need to save that for next time. If you want to find a recipe for pumpkin butter, there are plenty to be found on pinterest. It is really easy to make, but time consuming, so plan accordingly. All the time and effort is totally worth it. Months from now, I'll be able to pull some pumpkin butter out of the freezer and have a taste of Fall on the spot. Until next time! Toodahloo!