1 Nov 2019

Even though it is now November 1, it is still pumpkin season. And by pumpkin, I mean any winter squash. It breaks my heart to see all of those heirloom pumpkins at the grocery store used merely for decoration. They make great eating, you know. But I don’t bother with the Connecticut field pumpkins for eating. They were bred as Jack O’lantern pumpkins and are pretty darned fibrous. But don’t let those other beautiful heirloom pumpkins go to waste.

Darned if I can remember what recipe used. My husband is always telling me to write things down. I usually don’t though. (Maybe I should listen to him.) I used canned chicken broth and then cooked onions, potatoes and carrots in it. I blended that and added the mashed pumpkin to it. I suspect that I seasoned it with salt and Herbes de Provence. It looked blah, so I topped the soup with smoked paprika. Voila!

To make the pumpkin bread, I started with a recipe for “Easy Pumpkin Bread” from King Arthur flour. But of course I modified it. It used canned pumpkin, which is really a mix of butternut squash and several other varieties of winter squash, and is thicker than freshly baked and mashed pumpkin. So much more fun to use fresh. Here is my recipe.

Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Bread

1 C melted butter

2 1/2 C granulated sugar (I will reduce this to 2 C next batch)

4 large eggs

2 C mashed pumpkin

1/2 C water (use 2/3 C if using the thicker canned pumpkin)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (not artificial)

3 1/3 C King Arthur organic all-purpose unbleached flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp mace (I will increase this to 1/2 tsp next time)

1 to 1 1/2 C pecans, halves and pieces, not ground

1 to 1 1/2 C dried cranberries

2 T turbinado sugar for shrinking on top (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two 9″ x 5″ loaf baking pans.

Beat together the butter, sugar, pumpkin, water and vanilla. I hand mix.

Add the dry ingredients, stirring to combine.

Mix in pecans and cranberries. Batter will be thick.

Pour or spoon into the two baking pans. Top each loaf with a tablespoon of turbinado sugar, if using it. Bake at 350 F for about 80 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove pans from oven and cool on a rack. Tip bread out of pans when cool. I usually freeze one loaf in a freezer bag.

You can substitute golden raisins for the cranberries, or use chopped fresh cranberries.

I hope you like the recipe. BTW, I am using nothing but organic flour these days because most wheat (and corn) in America is grown with glyphosate (Round-up). The plants were genetically modified to withstand spraying with the herbicide Round-up. I don’t mind GMO crops in general, but I do not want Round-up in my food. Farmers even spray it on the crops right before harvest to desiccate the crop. I don’t want to eat Round-up, thank you, so I am trying as much as I can to get organic wheat and ground corn products.

Are you growing your own winter squash? What varieties? Has anyone else tried growing the Guatemalan Blues from Baker Creek Heirloom seeds, or Mayo Blushers from Native Seed SEARCH?