Spiced Pumpkin Marmalade Spread
by Chalet Naturalys in Cooking > Canning & Preserving
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Spiced Pumpkin Marmalade Spread
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Don't hate me, but pumpkins are not my favourite vegetable (I can almost hear the cries of "nooooo" right now), but each year I give them a go, hoping I'll find a recipe that blows my mind and put these amazing veggies back on the menu.
I think I've finally found THE recipe.
Off we went to our local pick-your-own farm to see what pumpkins we could find, so come and join me as we make spiced pumpkin marmalade spread.
Supplies
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INGREDIENTS:
- 1 large pumpkin - we picked out a Hungarian Blue (total weight of fruit was 4.2kg)
- 3 oranges
- 3 lemons
- Spice mix - I used 1 tbsp of cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg
- Sugar (I used 2 kg in total)
TOOLS:
- Large pan, preferably one designed for cooking jam
- Small saucepan
- Very sharp knife
- Preserving jars & lids
- Spoon
- Ladle
- Sterilised jars & lids
- Jam funnel (optional but does make life easier)
- Tray
- Jam jar tongs
- Heat resistant gloves - those jars get super hot (I've got special ones for jam making)
Let's Get Chopping
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- There is a LOT of chopping in this recipe, but after that it's plain sailing.
- Scrub the skins of your oranges and lemons, quarter, remove seeds and finely slice. Add to your pan.
- Now to tackle the pumpkin. You need to remove ALL of the skin and seeds. Chop the flesh into large cubes and add to your pan.
- I washed and dry roasted the seeds in the oven, they make a healthy and tasty snack.
Let Is Rest
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We don't like really sweet jams in our family, so my sugar quantity tends to be on the lower side compared to most jam recipes. I think this works better because you actually taste the fruit and spices you are using, rather than just a sweet flavoured syrup.
After trimming and chopping the pumpkin and citrus fruit I had 4.6kg in the pan. To this I added 2 kg of sugar, plus the spices. Give everything a good mix around, then cover and leave for 24 hrs. This allows the sugar, spices and fruit to macerate and infuse.
You'll notice after 24 hours there is a LOT of liquid in the pan and of course the smell is DIVINE.
Get Cooking
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- All you need to do now is put the pan on the heat. Start slow, you just want a small simmer, not a fast boil, this allows the hard pumpkin to really soften, without losing too much of the liquid.
- Don't forget pumpkin is quite a starchy vegetable (well it's a fruit really but hey that's another story), therefore your jam will naturally thicken by itself.
- Once the pumpkin is soft, you can either use a blender and achieve a really smooth consistency, or just take a potato masher to break up the pumpkin cubes. I wanted to make sure the lemon and orange pieces were still visible, like you see in a marmalade, so I used my hand masher.
- At this stage the consistency is really thick, this is exactly what I wanted, but obviously if you prefer your marmalade/spread a bit thinner, then all you need to do is add in freshly boiled water.
- DON'T FORGET TO TASTE! If you prefer your jams sweeter or spicier then add more sugar and spice here and cook a little further so the sugar and/or spice are fully dissolved and incorporated.
Canning
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- All you need to do now is get canning.
- I wash my jars, put the lids into a casserole, fill with water and sterilise by boiling for 10-15 minutes and the jars I put on a tray and into the oven at 150°C for 30 minutes.
- CAUTION: everything is piping hot, the jam and the jars, this is why I wear heat resistant gloves. Not only do they stop me from getting burnt but they also allow me to safely hold the jars.
- Using a ladle and a funnel, fill your jars. Don't forget to tap gently the jars to remove any air pockets.
- Place a lid onto each jar and then sterilise either in a large pan with water or if you have a steriliser follow the manufacturer instructions. I used a large pan and placed a thick cloth on the bottom to prevent the jars from touching the bottom of the pan.
- Fill with water and make sure to fully submerge your jars in the water, at least 4-5 cm of water above the lid levels.
- Since my jam is quite thick and my jars small I knew it wouldn't take long to sterilise, once the water came to the boil, I left them to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove and allow to fully cool before storing and labeling.
Tasting Time
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Once cooled you can experiment and use the marmalade spread for both sweet and savoury dishes as a condiment, sauce or even a filling.
Our first taste test were crepes and it had a big thumbs up from all the family. So much so we went out and picked another pumpkin to make more.