If you have harvested or bought a musk or maxi pumpkin, you have to process the cut autumn vegetables in a short time. However, the amount of pulp is often so large that some portions have to be preserved permanently. In this article you will find various options and we will also explain how the carved Halloween pumpkin stays beautiful for a long time.
How to preserve pumpkin?
Preserving pumpkin can be done by storing it properly in a cool, dark place, freezing raw or cooked pumpkin flesh, preserving it in the form of sweet and sour preparations, jam or chutney and making pumpkin ketchup. This means that the autumn vegetables last a long time and are tasty.
Store pumpkin correctly
Pumpkin varieties like:
- Hokkaido
- Butternut,
- Spaghetti squash,
- nutmeg pumpkin
You can use it for up to eight months, provided the peel is intact and the pumpkin has no bruises. The stem must also remain attached to the vegetable, otherwise rot and mold bacteria could penetrate.
Store the autumn vegetables in a cool, dry and dark basement. It is ideal to put the pumpkins in used potato nets and hang them up.
Freeze pumpkin meat
You can freeze the autumn vegetables raw or made into puree:
- Freeze raw pumpkin flesh: Cut the raw pulp into cubes and fill it into freezer bags. You should avoid blanching, as this makes the flesh of the autumn vegetables very mushy.
- Frozen cooked pumpkin: Pumpkin puree can be used as a soup base, for example. Steam the prepared pumpkin flesh for 20 minutes until tender. Put it in a bowl and chop it up with the hand blender. Pour into a container and freeze.
Preserve pumpkin by boiling
Canning is a proven method for preserving fruits and vegetables. Traditionally, the autumn vegetables are preserved in sweet and sour pickles. A delicious alternative is pumpkin jam or pumpkin chutney. You can also preserve pumpkin puree so you always have the base for delicious soups on hand.
Make pumpkin ketchup
Children in particular love the taste of this ketchup.
Ingredients:
- 1, 5 kg pumpkin meat
- 150 ml white vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 300 g sugar
- 1 tsp mild curry powder
- S alt and cayenne pepper to taste
Preparation
- Peel the pumpkin, scrape out the seeds and dice.
- Boil in s alted water for about 20 minutes until soft.
- Drain the cooking water and puree the pumpkin flesh.
- Add all other ingredients and simmer, stirring, until the mixture reaches a creamy ketchup consistency.
- Taste again, let it bubble up once and immediately fill into previously sterilized twist-off jars or bottles with swing tops.
- Seal, allow to cool and store in a cool, dark place.
The pumpkin ketchup lasts for about a year.
Tip
Carved pumpkins will stay beautiful for longer if you first wash them with soapy water after work and then apply a protective layer of Vaseline. Alternatively, you can spray diluted bleach or a special pumpkin spray.
