Pumpkin butter, as made in the north woods

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
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--Ann Arbor,

Directions

Take out the seeds of 1 pumpkin, cut it in small pieces and boil it soft; take 3 other pumpkins, cut them in pieces and boil them soft; put them in a coarse bag and press out the juice; add the juice to the first pumpkin and let it boil 10 hours or more to become the thickness of butter; stir often. If the pumpkins are frozen the juice will come out much nicer.

Remarks: All I have to guide me as to the "North Woods" manner of making is that on the back of the slip cut from some newspaper; there was the date of the paper - Feb. 7, 1880 - also "Sleighing fair," and "Loggers feel better," therefore, to know that "loggers felt better," they must have that class of persons among them; and hence it was from some northern paper, where loggers in the winter do congregate. It will make a good butter if boiled carefully to avoid burning. I should say boil the juice at least half away before putting in the nicely cut pieces of the 1 pumpkin, boiling it soft in the juice of 3 other ones, after its reduction one half.

It makes a very good substitute for cow's butter, and for apple butter, too. But I must say if I used frozen pumpkins to obtain the juice from, I should not want the one frozen that was to be cut up to make the butter of.

I think it would not be as good if frozen. If any of these butters are too sour add good brown sugar to make it sweet enough to suit the taste.

1884

Source: Walnut Pickles and Watermelon Cake, A Century of Michigan Cooking, Larry B. Massie and Priscilla Massie.

Penny Halsey (ATBN65B)

Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V3 #190 Date: 07/03/96

From: eboyd@...

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