Pumpkin Preserves
Author: 
 
Pieces of pumpkin are transformed into sweet, glistening amber-colored jewels in this recipe for Pumpkin Preserves.
Ingredients
  • 4 Tablespoons pickling lime mixed into 8 cups of water
  • 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of peeled pumpkin, cubed ¾-1 inch in size
  • 1½ liters (6½ cups) water
  • 1½ kg (6 cups) of sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 6-8 whole cloves
Instructions
  1. Peel and cube the pumpkin into ¾ to 1 inch sized pieces.
  2. Gently mix the pickling lime powder into 8 cups of water in a glass bowl. Put the cubed pumpkin into this solution and put a small plate over the pumpkin to submerge. Set this bowl aside for 6-8 hours.
  3. After soaking in the pickling lime solution, remove the pumpkin and submerge and rinse in fresh water. Do this 3 times, changing the water each time, to ensure that all the calcium hydroxide has been removed. Drain the pumpkin and set aside.
  4. Make your syrup by boiling the liter of water, 1 kg of sugar, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a large pot. Bring it to a boil. Put the pumpkin cubes in the syrup and return to a boil.
  5. When the pumpkins in syrup come to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 2 hours and 15 minutes. It sounds like a long time but you only need to stir it every 30 minutes or so.
  6. After simmering the whole time, the pumpkin preserves can now be carefully spooned into mason jars for canning or into jars with a rubber-gasketed lids. Pour the hot syrup into the jars to submerge the pumpkin pieces and seal.
Notes
-Yes, this recipe does use a lot of sugar but I consider these a treat. Most of the sugar will be in the syrup and not the pumpkin pieces. The quantity is needed to reduce water activity and thus prevent spoilage. If you are using less pumpkin, you don't need to make as much syrup. Therefore you can scale down the amount of syrup proportionally.

-You can use any variety of pumpkin for these preserves: fairy tale pumpkin, cheese pumpkin, and even kabocha--all work great.

-When you eat all the preserved pumpkin pieces, you will be left with the syrup which can be stored in the refrigerator for months. Use it to sweeten coffees, teas, and lattes with a spiced pumpkin flavor.

-You can flavor these preserves in numerous ways. Some things that would be good to simmer with the pumpkin: orange peels, slices of ginger, a vanilla bean, star anise, or cardamom.
Recipe by Lands & Flavors at https://www.landsandflavors.com/pumpkin-preserves/