Comments on: Shopping alert: Canned pumpkin! On sale!

By: Anne T

Anne T — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:22:42 +0000

Susan and anyone else interested, here’s the link to the pumpkin & peanut butter treats I made. Be careful adding water. I added too much the first batch and had to add extra flour. Halfway through though, I got bored cutting out bone shaped cookies ( the only dog related cutter I have) so I just pinched off small balls of dough instead.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/P.....etail.aspx

By: Kim Thornton

Kim Thornton — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:05:01 +0000

Gina, Trader Joe’s has canned organic sweet potatoes, too. And I just bought dandelion greens for the girls today. We’ll see how they like them. They certainly don’t have any problem with the kale. I made eggnog recently, which left me with a dozen egg whites. I scrambled them all, ate some myself, and mixed the rest in with the girls’ food. Larry turned his beak up at his.

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:18:46 +0000

One thing that worked well with pumpkin for us, is I mixed it with a bit of water and put it in ice cube trays. Kasey loves chewing on a “cubie” and the pumpkin cubie is a special treat.

By: 2CatMom

2CatMom — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:11:36 +0000

A little OT - one of my cats LOVES baked sweet potatoes. He cries for some when I make one. Go figure.

By: Anne T

Anne T — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:34:31 +0000

Dorene, you are so right! I forgot all about the added benefits of seeds thrown into the grass clippings, old potting soil, wood stove ash, coffee grounds and whatever. I don’t compost persee because of raccoons. I have yet to meet a composter that is ‘coon’ proof. Eggshells go to the dogs.
From year to year I never know what will sprout. This year I had tomatoes and nasturtiums by the bucket load. 2009? Who knows what the vagaries of winter and what I have thrown out there will bring?

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:13:47 +0000

Pumpkin fans! Who knew?

I have “Square Foot Gardening,” but honestly, it’s just a little too organized for me. I’m into garden sprawl and overall untidiness.

And I don’t have a problem with room. Besides my good-sized lot, I know I can ask the neighbors who own the acreage behind me to allow me to temp-fence off some of it right behind the fence for a “gourd garden.”

It’s so funny! Here I blog with all this advice and end up learning at least as much as I share. :)

I love the readers here.

By: Dorene

Dorene — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:05:57 +0000

If you grow them yourself, you don’t have to worry about sales. I’ve still got two Jarradales, 3 Sweet Dumpling and several Jack-Be-Littles in the pantry, waiting until I need them, besides what’s in the freezer.

Slice in half, take out the seeds (you can either eat them or save them for next year to plant), then put cut side down on a cookie sheet and bake at 350. Take off the skins, puree in the food processer and then use for whatever you like.

If you are making pie with your own pumpkin, don’t add as much milk as the recipe says — your own squash will probably have more liquid than the canned stuff.

At the community garden, we toss all our extra squash seeds in the back areas. Nature tends to weed out the weaker plants and what’s left we eat, toss out the seeds, etc. With enough seeds you can develop your own landrace of “proven” squash for your area.

By: Anne T

Anne T — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:56:58 +0000

Square foot gardening or any raised bed works fine for any of the gourd family, or melons, as long as you are prepared for them to trail over the bed and into the lawn.

By: The OTHER Pat

The OTHER Pat — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:38:30 +0000

GIna - have you looked into Square Foot Gardening? It can be used for some vining plants, too (although I’m not sure pumpkins would work unless you selected small varieties):

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

By: Anne T

Anne T — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:27:59 +0000

If you want to do squashes ( equally efficacious) they usually fit well into a microwave oven. Conventional or microwave, I tend to have mine and scoop the seeds before cooking ( a BIG knife and hammer are essential).
Then when cooked, I scoop out the filling and freeze as is. If you have ‘Joy of Cooking’, there is an awesome chiffon pumpkin pie recipe that will turn your head/stomach around regarding holiday pies, and it is beyound belief in deliciousness when ‘real’ pumpkin ( or squash) is used instead of canned.