Re: Early American Pumpkin Butter --- great for gifts

"Putting Food By" is a very good book. So is "Keeping Food Fresh."

But I've got some discontent with USDA and UGA's continuing dumbing down of "safety" guidelines; they seem to believe that "if some moron can screw this up, we should declare it unsafe." I grew up at a time when most women canned and most of them canned in the [gasp!] oven. I don't recall that botulism was a national plague or even one of the top thousand causes of death--far more people died from commercially preserved foods than died from home canning. If it smelled funny when you opened it, you didn't eat it--unless you were suicidal.

One thing that "Keeping Food Fresh" recommends is filling preserving jars with water several days before using them to allow the nascent mold spores to bloom before sterilizing them. Makes sense to me.

On Jul 28, 2006, at 12:50 PM, Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT wrote:

The sugar added is going to make it acid but the problem is that it's so
thick you can't be sure the sugar is evenly distributed. Same thing with
pressure processing, it is too thick to know that the contents of the jar
have been evenly heated.
I look at it like driving. Chances are when I drive a car I am not going to
get into an accident. But I wear my seat belt because something could
happen, and why take an unnecessary risk when I don't have to? You could
process the pumpkin stuff and probably everything would be okay...but if it
weren't, the consequences are pretty nasty. So you freeze it and avoid the
risk without appreciable inconvenience.
There are some people who scoff at the whole thing and figure if grandma did
it and didn't die, so can they. I don't eat anything they've put up - the
reward isn't worth the risk, even if it is small.
A really good book that goes into details about the WHY of canning, as
opposed to just "do this step", is Putting Food By. Things make so much more
sense when you know the reasoning behind it. Like the story of the woman
cutting off the end of the roast.

Cyndi

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf
Of Bonnie Holmes
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 8:20 PM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: RE: [CHAT] Early American Pumpkin Butter --- great for gifts

I knew you had to be careful with tomatoes because the newer hybrids have
less acid than the older varieties but was not aware of problems with
pumpkin. I always baked them in the oven which removes a lot of the liquid
(leaving it with the seeds) and produces a pretty thick pulp. I am also
wondering if the lemon juice adds sufficient acid.


[Original Message]
From: Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT <cyndi.johnson@edwards.af.mil>
To: gardenchat@hort.net <gardenchat@hort.net>
Date: 7/27/2006 12:54:28 PM
Subject: RE: [CHAT] Early American Pumpkin Butter --- great for gifts

You guys know I can a lot of things and I am always concerned that I
use

the

latest techniques to ensure food safety. The National Center for Food
Preservation says this is not safe. Here is a link:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/uga_can_pump.pdf
Even with all the sugar added you cannot ensure that the pH of the
food is low enough to prevent potential growth of botulism. Make it
for yourself

if

you must, and accept the risk, but please don't give it away.
And don't make any of those !(@# cakes in a jar, either.

Cyndi

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On

Behalf

Of Bonnie Holmes
Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 6:54 PM
To: gardenchat
Subject: [CHAT] Early American Pumpkin Butter --- great for gifts

Early American Pumpkin Butter - makes 5 pints

This recipe makes a lot of butter, and for a good reason; it serves as
the perfect gift during the holiday season. The traditional spicing
and hint

of
maple sweetness will enhance old-fashioned holidays meals.


6 cups cooked pumpkin puree (light cooking pumpkins are best)
2 cups pure maple syrup (very important...don't skimp here)
2 cups light corn syrup
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the puree in a 4-quart pot; stir in the maple syrup and corn syrup.
When these are thoroughly combined, add the remaining ingredients. Set
the pot over medium-high heat. When it begins to boil, partially cover
it; the mixture will splash profusely. Cook the puree at a slow boil,
stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until it thickens and turns a
darker color---about 45 minutes.


Ladle the butter into five sterilized, still-hot pint jars. Wipe rims
and cap immediately with still-hot lids, plus rings. Process for 25
minutes
in a

boiling water bath.


To Make Pumpkin Puree
Either bake the fruit or boil it. To bake pumpkins (my favorite way),
poke holes in the pumpkin to keep from exploding, put them in the oven
whole,

on

a cookie sheet, at 350 degrees F until softened and collapsed.
Scoop the pulp away from the peel. Puree the pulp in a blender or food
processor. Or, boil, peeled chunks of fresh pumpkin until softened.
Then puree the cooked pulp. Or use two 29-oz cans of commercial pureed

pumpkin.


Bonnie Zone 7/7 ETN

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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Hardiness Zone 10
Heat Zone 10
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
Maximum 100 F [38 C]

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