Pickled Pumpkin - a Side Dish for the Winter Months

Pumpkins are big and rounded fruit, that can be used in sweet or savory dishes. Unfortunately, they can only be enjoyed during a short season, from mid-September to the end of October. Wouldn't it be nice to put pumpkins in a time capsule, to make the opportunity of enjoying them available for the rest of the year? As it turns out, you can: thanks to pickling!

In this article, we will see how to turn your raw and expiring pumpkins into a delicious side dish, that can be served during Thanksgiving to accompany for example some turkey or a cheese plate.

2.2 lbs (1kg) Pumpkin

1 L Water

20 tablespoons 7% Vinegar

2 Cinnamon sticks

1 cup (200g) Sugar

10 Cloves

8 Cardamom pods

Pumpkins are easier to peel when cut into sections, as a straight edge allows the pumpkin piece to be maintained in place on the work surface. You can use a serrated vegetable peeler to a sharp knife to peel away the skin of the pumpkin.

When using a knife, you can shave off thin flakes of the skin, and progressively make your way around the pumpkin. It's really important to use a sharp knife, as the chances of the knife slipping are smaller, thus improving the security of the process.

To remove the seeds, use a large tablespoon to carve away the squishy insides.

Cut the cleaned-out pumpkin into slices that are around ½ inch thick.

Then, slice them in a grid pattern to get little pumpkin dice. They don't need to be all 100% perfect, just make sure there aren't major fluctuations in the sizes. Otherwise, some dice will stay raw while others have already finished boiling.

Take a large glass or ceramic oven dish, and pour the water and vinegar into it.

Then, add the pumpkin dice and allow them to pickle overnight.

Pour the pumpkins into a large pot. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Boil for around 20 minutes, until the edges of the pumpkin dice start to turn translucent, and are tender under a fork. Be careful not to overcook, as that will turn the dice into a soft paste - you want to keep the crunchiness.

When done, remove the cinnamon.

Sanitize your jars by boiling them in an oven for 20 minutes, or heating them in an oven at around 230°F.

Scoop the pumpkin dice into the jars, making sure that you get some spices in each jar. Fill the jar up to the brim, and screw on the lid, making sure to get as little air as possible in the jar.

To make sure the jars are sanitized properly, you can leave them to boil in hot water for another 10 minutes.

Leave the jars to cool, then store them in a dark and cool place. Once opened, the contents of a jar should be consumed within a month.

Enjoy!