Tuesday 9 September 2008

Pumpkins and stuff


The first of the pumpkin harvest and a busy cooking day.
Cornish pasties (nothing to do with pumpkins but anyway a batch of 14 for the freezer)
Butternut squash soup was the next on the list to be followed by an attempt at pumpkin pie.
The large orange pumpkins were from a volunteer plant. I didn't have a big enough, sharp enough knife to slice through one but TS came to the rescue with his wood splitting axe and split one in four for me.
We were so busy chopping up this pumpkin and turning it into puree that I accidently invented a new recipe, butternut squash and ginger mash. This involves a couple of cloves of garlic, an onion, a carrot, a potato, a teaspoon of ginger, lovage and coriander leaves, two butternut squashes and a litre of vegetable stock. Combine as if for soup ie sweating veg first in butter then adding stock then forget about it while you wrestle with an oversized pumpkin so that the stock is absorbed by the veg and the excess boils away and the vegetables will mash with a fork. But catch it just before it starts catching on the pan. Delicious! I might try making it on purpose next time.
Just waiting for the pumpkin pie to cool now. If we like it I've got another 5lbs of pumpkin puree on standby.

12 comments:

Kitt said...

Mmmmmm ... pumpkin mash! I'll bet it would taste great mixed in with regular mashed potatoes, too.

Pandora Wilde said...

My favorite thing to make with pumpkin is Pumpkin Soap--the antioxidants are wonderful for skin! But being a soaper, I'm biased.

And thanks for reminding me to watch the farmer's market for local pumpking to cook down for soap! I haven't made any in a couple of years so it'll be yummy to do up a batch.

Breezy said...

Kitt I think we're going to need every variation there is the little hooligan pumpkins have really been producing though they are more like 6 inches in diameter rather than the 3 inches advertised

pandOra Hi! Pumpkin soap there's a thought. I bet it will be one of those things I'll wish I could get round to doing

Anji said...

They do look beautiful, I haven't seen any down here yet though.

Anonymous said...

they really look gorgeous !!! I'm preparing some jam with pumpkin, apple and ginger ! delicious !

travelling, but not in love said...

please please please let me come for dinner. I'll eat anything on the list!

Pumpkin is my absolute favourite...

Breezy said...

Anji maybe they were a bit early

Mousie your jam sounds absolutely yummy!

TBNIL Any time

Shenandoah bed and breakfast said...

Step
1
Harvest pumpkins anywhere from 90 to 120 days after sowing seeds.

Step
2
Wait until the first frost has killed pumpkin vines in cold-winter areas, but harvest before a heavy frost. The pumpkin's shell should be fully colored, hard and solid.

Step
3
Cut from the vine with a sharp knife, leaving the stem attached.

Step
4
Store pumpkins for one to two weeks at warm temperatures, then keep in a warm and dry environment for two to six months. For longer storage you may can, freeze or dry pumpkin flesh.

Step
5
Eat pumpkins by pureeing their flesh to make pumpkin pie, then roast the seeds for a special treat.

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