Pumpkin Butter!

What do you do with all those leftover Halloween pumpkins? If you are in my house, you cook them! Of course, the first to be cooked would be any that were carved into Jack-O-Lanterns but those that were left whole can wait a bit..a long bit. Pumpkins without any blemishes will keep for months when kept cool and dry. Today was pumpkin cooking day at the house. My son cut the washed pumpkin in chunks and then it was cooked in boiling water until tender. Now I am one that does not waste a lot of food so I do not even peel the pumpkin..if the peels are tender enough all of it is run through the blender until pureed. Of course, you do have to add either water or juice as it is blended but in the end all I usually have to toss is the stem and stringy mess from the inside. Once this was done, it was time to decide just how to use all of this goodness! Today's decision led to some delicious Pumpkin Butter! It is made on the same order as Apple Butter and is most tasty on homemade biscuits or toast!

Pumpkin Butter

8 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

5 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground allspice

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

In a large pot, mix all ingredients together and heat over medium heat. Stir constantly until bubbly and thick. Depending on how thick your puree is to start with determines just how long you need to cook the pumpkin butter. To test for thickness, run the spoon through the center of the mixture..if the gap does not immediately close in on itself, it is thick enough! Just make sure to stir constantly so it does not scorch. If you do not want to stir constantly, you can use a slow cooker and stir occasionally until the desired thickness is reached. This can then either be sealed in hot, sterile canning jars following recommended directions (usually hot water bath method) or placed in freezer containers and frozen. It may be refrigerated for up to a month and frozen for up to a year.