This year my pumpkin vines went the way of the squash – horribly. Neither one seemed to produce any female blossoms, and so I ended up with no orange pie filling or bread sweets produced in my garden. Instead I picked up a dozen pie pumpkins from a fruit stand (thanks, Mom!), and I’ve been busy processing them for use throughout the winter.
Not one to allow for much waste, I also baked up the pumpkin seeds to munch on for quick and healthy snacks. Again, thanks to my mom, I was given the idea to season my pumpkin seeds instead of the usual roasting. All I can say is that I find myself grabbing several spiced seeds each time I pass by the bowl, and have even found myself hovering near the bowl just for an extra munch.
And who can roast pumpkins and not bake something with the gorgeous orange flesh. Pumpkins have tons of vitamin A, but also Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. Additionally, pumpkin weighs in at only 30 calories per cup.
Since Halloween is only the beginning of celebrating the pumpkin, I thought I’d share several recipes I’ve been working on this week. I hope you enjoy!!
Pumpkin and Persimmon Scones
Best served with clotted cream or fresh butter.
- 1cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 6 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter
- ½ cup pumpkin puree divided into two portions
- ¼ cup persimmons (dried cranberries or raisins soaked for 5 minutes in warm water can be substituted if desired)
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup chopped nuts if desired
- 1 Tbsp milk
- Heat oven to 425F.
- Chop butter into small bits, returning to refrigerator until needed.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together well the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, ¼ cup of the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla.
- In another small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp sugar, the remaining pumpkin and your persimmons and nuts.
- Using a fork, pastry cutter, or a quick spin in a food processor, combine butter and flour mixture until it resembles corn meal. Add the liquid ingredients and mix lightly until just combined. Overworking will ruin your scones. Really, 10 seconds is all you need!
- Dust workspace with flour and pour out scone mixture. Drop spoonfuls of pumpkin/fruit mixture onto scone mixture and gently knead. You want little surprises of gooey fruit and crunchy nuts so don’t over-mix. Form scones into a circle, no taller than about an inch. Divide into 8 pieces like a pie and place onto cookie sheet, allowing plenty of space between pieces. Alternately you can place spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet like drop biscuits. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown. Serve warm with fresh jam or clotted cream!
(If you prefer to use cream in your recipe instead of buttermilk, remove the baking soda from your ingredient list. This would be an excellent way to use up the cultured cream from preparing clotted cream!)
Clotted Cream
adapted from Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll and litlnemo from Slumberland (thanks for the confidence!).
- 1 pint to 1 quart heavy cream (not ULTRA-pasteurized) results in ½ to 1 cup clotted cream
- Heat oven to 180F
- Pour cream into a double-boiler and slowly bring up to 175F, stirring constantly. Pour into wide pan and cover with a lid. Allow the cream to stay warm for at least 8 hours.
- When you remove the pan, allow to cool a few minutes before setting it in an ice water bath. Do not stir cream yet even if it looks a little custardy.
- Place pan in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, strain off the thickened cream incorporating the “skin” into the mixture. You can use the reserved cream for any other application you’d normally use it for – it’s just now cultured.
Spread cream onto scones, biscuits, or one of my favorite applications – pancakes!
Roasted pumpkin seeds – Savory
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder
- Heat oven to 250F.
- Clean pulp from seeds and allow them to soak in water overnight. Rinse the seeds well in a strainer, rubbing them gently against the container to help remove any remaining residue.
- Place seeds on a cookie sheet, in a single layer, then place in heated oven. After 15 minutes drizzle with oil and seasonings, then return to oven.
- Turn over after 30 minutes and add more seasoning if desired. Bake for 1 hour total.
- Allow seeds to cool before enjoying.
Roasted pumpkin seeds – Herb
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Thyme, oregano, basil
- Garlic powder
- Heat oven to 250F.
- Clean pulp from seeds and allow them to soak in water overnight. Rinse the seeds well in a strainer, rubbing them gently against the container to help remove any remaining residue.
- Combine olive oil with herbs and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Place seeds on cookie sheet, in a single layer, then place in heated oven. After 15 minutes drizzle with oil and seasonings, then return to oven.
- Turn over after 30 minutes and add more seasoning if desired. Bake for 1 hour total. Be sure that herbs don’t singe.
- Allow seeds to cool before enjoying.
Roasted pumpkin seeds – Sweet
- Walnut oil or other light tasting oil
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
- Heat oven to 250F.
- Clean pulp from seeds and allow them to soak in water overnight. Rinse the seeds well in a strainer, rubbing them gently against the container to help remove any remaining residue.
- Place seeds on a cookie sheet, in a single layer, then place in heated oven. After 15 minutes drizzle with oil sugar and cinnamon, then return to oven.
- Turn over after 30 minutes and add more sugar if desired. Bake for 1 hour total.
- Allow seeds to cool before enjoying.
I hope you have the chance to take advantage of this wonderfully healthy and seasonal treat. Pumpkins can last quite a while in cool storage, but I have found it convenient to prepare a few ahead of time to keep frozen. The best part is that most of the fruit can be used and what is left over goes directly into the compost!
Jennifer can also be found at Unearthing this Life where she blargs about life with 6 chickens (yep, one more down), a frog, a fish, two cats, and her Hubby and Kid.
Not Dabbling In Normal 