pumpkins

One of the items that we did very well with this year was our pumpkin crop.  We ordered an heirloom variety from D. Landreth called Sugar Sweet.  It was fun watching these compete with the Zucchino Rampicante and watermelons in a vine growth race to our back patio.  They also grew up and over our hedgerow and became an off-the-vine free farmers market for the neighbors in our neighborhood.  We had plenty to share with kids in the neighborhood who came to pick their own jack-o-lantern pumpkins, as well as their parents who came to collect for baking.

Just last night in fact, our neighbor Robert brought us this wonderful cream of mushroom soup in a baked pumpkin shell serving bowl.  It was beautiful and delicious, scraping the pumpkin as we went to add to the soup.  Just an awesome meal for a chilly Autumn evening at home with the fire roaring in the hearth.  Accompanied by, of course...

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt & Vinegar

Robert is holding tight to his recipe for homemade fresh cream of mushroom soup, but I can tell you that there is fresh ground pepper and nutmeg in there for sure.  So delicious!  As for the seeds, simply coat them generously in a slurry of sea salt and vinegar, spread out on a cookie sheet, and toast in the oven at 325° to your personal taste, light or dark.  I am betting some fine ground pepper and nutmeg would be wonderful on these as well.

As for what we did with that first pile of pumpkins, we baked them up for muffins and pies through the fall and winter.  Our first batch of pumpkin muffins for breakfast was very well received by house guests this weekend.

Fresh baked pumpkin and pecan muffins

Once again, secret house recipe on the muffins.  You'll just have to come visit!

Here though is the secret to most of what we will be using in our holiday baking this autumn and winter: heirloom pumpkin base for baking all nature of yumminess!

Slice into quarters, remove seeds

Baked in the oven for 30-45 minutes

Pureed to a fine pulp

Set your oven at 375°. Cut your pumpkins into quarters and scoop out the seeds.  We saved what we got for seed swap this winter with friends, but you could use your seeds like Robert did for a delicious snack too.  Coat the inside of the pumpkin flesh with softened butter and place shell side down on baking sheets.  In a bowl on the side, combine a couple cups of brown sugar with a tablespoon or so of cinnamon, a teaspoon or so of fresh ground nutmeg, and a teaspoon or so of sea salt or coarse kosher salt.  Sprinkle this mixture generously over the pumpkins quarters and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the pumpkin flesh is easily pierced with a fork.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

When removing the pumpkin flesh from the shell, you can pull apart into strings with a fork for coarse baking or pumpkin butter or jam (which is awesome!).  For pumpkin jam, add apple juice, a half teaspoon of cider vinegar, some instant pectin, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and little bit of ground ginger, chill and serve!  For pumpkin butter, add apple sauce instead of juice, skip the pectin and place in a blender or food processor to whip up to a mousse like texture.

What we did was simply remove the flesh and place in a big bowl, adding nothing.  We mashed it up with a submersible blender, though you could use a potato masher, blender or food processor.  We scooped out two cups each of the finished pulp into freezer bags and tossed into the deep freeze to use through the season.

Frozen and ready for use year round

If anyone tells you that canned pumpkin tastes the same and is less trouble than fresh baked pumpkin, you have my permission to shake your head and giggle.  Making your own pulp is easy, practical and versatile, and I guarantee you will taste the difference!  If you don't believe me, stick around to try one of my pies this Thanksgiving!