Cucurbit Comestibles

cucurbit [kjuːˈkɜːbɪt] n

any creeping flowering plant of the mainly tropical and subtropical family Cucurbitaceae, which includes the pumpkin, cucumber, squashes, and gourds

co·mes·ti·ble  (ku-mes-ti-bul) n

something that can be eaten as food

My younger son is a pumpkin fanatic and will eat anything from the pumpkin/squash family happily.  My BFF and I decided to humor him and make him as many pumpkin things we could conjure.

We went to my favorite squash and pumpkin spot and brought home a dozen of a newer variety of pie pumpkin.  The owners were hoping for a multi-purpose pumpkin (who isn’t?), one that looked good, dried well, and made tasty pies.

I was happy enough for tasty pies.  My BFF eyed the handsome stems for her own crafty adventures.  Gary showed us a really cool dried pumpkin from last season.

We took a dozen wonder pumpkins home and cooked up half of them for kicks.

Not pie material.

They could have been mistaken for an acorn squash.  Yawn.

I was ready to feed the lot to the chickens and get on to the next cucurbit comestible.  Thank goodness that my BFF is more patient.  She surfed the Internet and we made some modifications and came up with a lovely pumpkin butter recipe.

Pumpkin butter must be frozen.  It is a low acid fruit and cannot be successfully sealed in a water bath canner.  Treat it like freezer jam and store it accordingly in your favorite containers.

Pumpkin Butter

• 14 c. pumpkin puree
• 3 c. white sugar
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 2 T. cinnamon
• 1 t. ground cloves
• ½ t. allspice
• ½ t. nutmeg
• zest of one orange
• fresh squeezed juice of half an orange

1. Mix all the above ingredients except the orange zest and juice in a large crock pot.
2. Cook on low for six to eight hours, stirring occasionally.
3. When the mixture reaches the desired consistency (spreadable, not too wet), stir in the orange zest and juice.
4. Freeze in small jars or containers.