Homemade Pumpkin Preserve

Fall means pumpkins are in season! Pumpkin jams or preserves are delicious and full of nutrients - if you can get past the sugar content. By making your own preserve, you can control the amount of sugar added making it an amazing spread over buttered toast or with cheese - better yet, you can enjoy them all year long!

Pumpkins are a family favourite so naturally we we have lots of pumpkin at home which means we use them to make different dishes - we even roast the pumpkin seeds! This preserve is very easy to make and super delicious! It reminds me of the pumpkin preserve that my grandparents used to make every season, however this recipe does not use any calcium hydroxide (pickling lime)

Using only pumpkin, sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, mixed in with walnuts and blanched almonds you can make this chunky delicious preserve. No spices required!

Spread on warm buttered bread and enjoy!

Homemade Pumpkin Preserve

Ingredients

3 lbs fresh pumpkins, cubed

1 lbs granulated sugar

Juice of half a lemon

blanched almonds

walnuts

Directions

1. Peel, deseed and dice the pumpkin into large cubes

2. Place pumpkin into a large bowl, add sugar and lemon juice. Mix well. Bowl must be large enough as they will release a lot of water.

3. Cover and refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight. Try to mix ever few hours.

4. In a large pot, pour the pumpkin sugar mixture and cook on medium heat for about 2-3 hours or until the water has reduced to a syrup and the pumpkins are tender. Stir occasionally.

5. Pour into a bowl and let cool completely before storing in sterile, dry jars.

6. Once cooled completely, place in mason jars with almonds and walnuts. Alternating layers of nuts and pumpkin preserve. Store in the fridge.

Recipe Notes:

1. Cutting the pumpkin into large cubes will result in chunky preserve which is what we're going for in this recipe.

2. If the pumpkin is too large, you can use the pieces closest to the skin for the preserve as they are firm and would be perfect for this recipe. The softer, inner pieces closest to the core can be used for other recipes. Not sure what to do with the remaining pumpkin? Try this Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup recipe.

3. Do not discard the water. Place pumpkins and the water-sugar mix all in the pot over medium heat.

4. While cooking, the pumpkin mixture will reduce and a thick syrup will start to form. Some of that syrup can be transferred with the preserve to the jars. However, I choose to keep some of that extra syrup and store separately. You can then use the extra syrup to drizzle over oatmeal, pancakes or even as a dip for warm pieces of sour dough.