Speaking of dehydrating Pumpkin and how to use it, in 1820.
"It is a great improvement to the flavor of Pumpkin Pies to boil the milk, stir the sifted pumpkin into it, and let them boil up together once or twice. The pumpkin swells almost as much as Indian meal, and of course absorbs more milk than when stirred together cold; but the taste of the pie is much improved.
Some people cut pumpkin, string it, and dry it like apples. It is a much better way to boil and sift the pumpkin, then spread it out thin in tin plates, and dry hard in a warm oven. It will keep good all the year round, and a little piece boiled up in milk will make a batch of pies."
If one has a dehydrator and a blender the pumpkin doesn't require sifting. Just dehydrate 3 cups of pumpkin puree on a round fruit leather tray and spread evenly. Dehydrate for about 12 hours but check it often after the first 6 hours to minimize darkening from over drying. Aka burning. But if the pumpkin turns to dark not all is lost, it makes a good pumpkin butter. Add cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg in small portions rehydrate. ½ cup pumpkin powder to 2 cups boiling water yields about 1¾ cup pumpkin puree. Let simmer a bit and then let sit to cool.
Use in pumpkin pie, cakes, cookies, chili, macaroni and cheese. It is an excellent thickener. It is naturally slightly sweet.
To make a pumpkin pie mix
Put ½ cup of pumpkin powder into a container.
¾ cup sugar
½ cup Powder Milk
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Cloves
⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg
Additional ingredients
1 egg
2 cups water
Directions pour mix into a pan add 2 cups water and let simmer for 20-25 minutes let sit to cool add in 1 egg.
At this point pour into a crust. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.
If you don't have the ingredients to make a crust but have a ½ cup of flour add it to this mix and pour into a well greased pie pan and bake at 350° for 1 hour. It is a little more cake like but it doesn't need a crust.
Comments