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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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