What Do You Do With a 40-Pound Squash
Winter squash or pumpkin can be canned or follow the recipe for yeasted pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter pie, banana-pumpkin milkshake or a pumpkin butter cake.
by Lorraine Worley
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Here's a delicious answer to the question...
For a good many years I regretted—but thought
unavoidable—the waste that occurred when I'd have to
cut open (and thus expose to spoilage) a huge pumpkin or
winter squash in order to make a few pies. The dilemma was
solved recently, though, when I came across a recipe for
"pumpkin butter" ... a treat that's both delicious and easy
to store.
To make 15 to 17 quarts of the versatile spread, you'll
need 40 pounds of pumpkin or squash (cooked and pureed),
2-1/2 to 3 quarts of honey, 6 tablespoons of cinnamon, 4
teaspoons of nutmeg, and 4 teaspoons of ground cloves.
Make sure the fruit is free of dirt, then cut it in half
and scoop out the seeds and the stringy insides. If the
pumpkin or squash you're using has a tough skin, the
easiest way to cook it is to simply bake the two sections
in the oven at 325°F until they're very soft . . . and
then remove the "meat" from the shells with a big spoon.
However, if you're going to use a food mill—rather
than a blender—to process the pulp (and,
surprisingly, I've found the hand-operated strainer to be
the more time-efficient device), you may want to cut
soft-skinned varieties in 2" chunks and bake the pieces.
(If you don't have access to an oven, just put the cubes
into your canner—along with an inch or two of
water—and steam them until they're done. My ninequart
canner will hold about 40 pounds if it's packed full. So
I'd estimate that one of the more common seven-quart
canners can be used to hold about 30 pounds of
butter-to-be.)
THICK AND LUSCIOUS
When your pumpkin or squash is fully cooked, puree it
(using either a blender or a food mill, as you prefer), put
the yellow-orange liquid into your canner or a big kettle
(until the container is about half full), and start it
cooking. Pumpkin butter, you'll find, can be prepared in
only an hour or two . . . a fraction of the time required
to process apple butter. When the spread starts to thicken,
add the honey and spices (which will turn the mixture a
golden brown) and taste-test to see whether it pleases your
palate. Now let the sauce simmer—stirring it every so
often to prevent sticking—and when it's thick enough
to support an upright wooden spoon, you're ready to can!
