Wednesday, November 3, 2010

What do you do with a guy who looks like...............

This?????
Make him into Pumking Jam!!
Jack was carved late in the afternoon by "The Italian", then set outside for two hours to great our many trick or treaters. When I brought him back in to the house, I really hated the thought of just tossing him for compost. Since he was only exposed to the elements for a few hours, I covered him in plastic wrap and put him on the bench on the back porch to keep him cool overnight.

He's got one heck of a smile!!


The next morning, the flesh of the pumpkin was cut into small squares and marinated in sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, ground nutmeg & vanilla. The bowl or large pot is then covered and placed in a cool place for at least 20 hours. I put it in a cool spot in the basement.


After the mixture marinates for at least 20 hours. It is cooked on the stove for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Most of the pumpkin is translucent after cooking for 2 hours. The mixture is then covered, taken back down to the basement and let sit for at least 10 hours.


After sitting for 10 hours, the mixture is cooked for 40-60 minutes. I added some water and a little more lemon juice, then chopped up the chunks with the immersion blender.


I got a little impatient with the immersion blender (since this is 4x the recipe) and decided to get out my avocado green blender! Yep, I have my original blender from the 70's! Now it looks more like a butter then a jam. I will see how the taste reviews come out and decide which way to chop it next year.  After cooking it. I took it back down to the basement to sit for another 10 hours.


The mixture was then cooked for another 30 minutes. I added a little more lemon juice and about 1 cup of water to the mixture while it was cooking. It was then put in hot jars and sealed.

The jam last year was made with a fairytale pumpkin which made it a little more orange in color. I think it would be good made with squash also.

The recipe for this pumpkin jam can be found here.

10 comments:

  1. This looks delicious! My neighbors have some pumpkins that aren't carved. Do you suppose they would be good for making this jam?
    Thanks,
    Veggie PAK

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  2. VeggiePAK, I'm sure they would be good for making this jam.

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  3. Whether it's jam or butter, it still looks delicious. I love the blender!

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  4. Wow, i've never heard of pumpkin jam before! It looks beautiful!

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  5. The Mom, That blender is about 35 years old and still works like a charm!

    EG, It's really good. We like to serve jams & jellies with cheeses or brie for appetizers. The combination of flavors is amazing.

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  6. I saved a pumpkin butter recipe a few years ago because I thought it sounded interesting, but have never tried any. Maybe I'll try your recipe and see how it turns out! Thanks for the inspiration.
    ~~Lori

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  7. I love the cool retro blender! Wow, that looks like a lot of work, but I bet it will be so tasty!

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  8. Cool pumpkin carving job, and even better than you were able to "recycle" it into something deliciously edible! I think someone in my family had a 70s blender like that. I haven't thought about it for ages, but seeing your picture with the squared corners triggered my memory!

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  9. Dirt Lover, Try it...I'm sure that you will like it!

    Mimi, It takes some time to make...but well worth it!

    Thyme2 - "The Italian" always carves the pumpkin. You should see some that he has carved in the past! I have often thought of buying a new blender...but why?? A new one probably wouldn't last half as long!

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  10. Yes, your jam looks so good I think I might give a try. The pie pumpkins I harvested are being used for decorations, but then they ban be turned into all sorts Of goodies. Thanks for posting the recipe Robin.

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