I absolutely love autumn, especially where we live in rural Ontario. The bugs are gone, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, the leaves are brilliant in color and pumpkins are ready! I enjoy growing a variety of pumpkins and squash for their eye catching beauty and delicious flavors. One recipe I make a lot of and has proven to be popular seller at our farm is my Pumpkin Maple Butter. Most customers purchase it to spread on toast or scones, but recently I was told by one customer that they use it as a glaze on salmon. Sounds wonderful! I enjoy making this preserve as it is something that does not require your immediate attention to ‘can’ down. Pumpkins picked fresh from the garden store very well in a cool, dry pantry until January or later. That way you can make this preserve when time permits. I would like to share my recipe with readers.
Irish Hills Farm Pumpkin-Maple Butter
Ingredients
2-1/2 pounds organic pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
brown sugar
Instructions
Put the pumpkin in a pan with 2 cups of water and cook approximately 30 minutes until tender. Drain. Mash the pumpkin or use a food processor or blender to make into a puree. Stir maple syrup and spices into the pumpkin puree. Measure all the puree into a large pan, adding 1 cup of brown sugar for each 2-1/2 cups of puree. Gently heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 10 to 20 minutes until the mixture forms a thick puree that holds its shape when spooned on to a cold plate. Note: The United States Dept. of Agriculture recommends that pumpkin purees and butters should be frozen, not canned. For more information, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s information page on canning pumpkin and squash at http://goo.gl/uGTyDW.
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