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Preserving
Your Pumpkin Harvest
By Rachel Paxton
 By
the middle of September you already have a pretty
good idea which pumpkin is going to be your prize
winner this year. The big one with the round smooth
face will make a perfect jack-o- lantern come October,
as will the tall skinny one that seems to call out
"Pick me!" as you gaze out over this year's pumpkin
patch with childlike anticipation.
So
after you've picked the best pumpkins to carve and
display, what do you do with the rest of them? I've
discovered some interesting and unique ways to use
up every last bit of your pumpkin crop this year.
Everyone
knows you can toast and eat pumpkin seeds, but did
you know you can also sprout them? First soak them
by placing them in a glass jar with just enough
tepid water to cover them. Cover the jar with cheesecloth,
holding the cheesecloth in place with a rubberband
at the neck of the jar. Let the seeds set in the
water overnight to make sure they're nice and soft.
The next morning, drain the water from the jar by
gently turning the jar upside down until all of
the moisture is gone. Place the jar out of the light
(in a closet or cabinet). The temperature should
remain at about 70 degrees. Rinse the seeds in the
jar 4 to 6 times a day. After 3 days you should
have approximately 1/4-inch sprouts. Rinse them
once more and set the jar in a sunny window for
about a day until the sprouts grow tiny leaves.
Eat them in salads, sandwiches, or add them to soups
and casseroles. They're very healthy and easy to
make!
You
can also make flour out of fresh pumpkin. Cut the
raw pumpkin into chunks, cut off the skin the best
you can and dry in the oven. Grind the dried pumpkin
in the blender or a food mill. Use pumpkin flour
as a partial substitute for all-purpose flour in
your favorite breads and other baked goods. Store
in an airtight container.
Last
but not least, why wait to enjoy the fruits of your
labor? Try these easy quick bread recipes. Quick
breads are easy to prepare because you don't have
to mess around with yeast and waiting for the dough
to rise. You just mix a few ingredients together
in a bowl, pour into a loaf pan, and bake! It's
really that easy.
Cranberry
Pumpkin Bread
Autumn
Bread
Rachel
Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who publishes
the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club,
a weekly newsletter that contains quick, easy dinner
ideas and money-saving household hints. To subscribe
send a blank e-mail message to mailto:FreeRecipes-subscribe@egroups.com.
Visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com
and in the Home and Garden section of Suite 101
- http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/creative_homemaking
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