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Farm Kitchen:  Waxing squash/pumpkin stems  |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 08 2010 : 2:51:33 PM
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I can't for the life of me remember where I read that if you wax the stem of squash, it helps preserve it longer.... Can anyone help me? I just need to know what type of wax to use and the correct method to wax the stem, and do you wax the bottom part of the squash, too? I have SO many squash and pumpkins out in the garden, so I'd like to have a way to preserve them without having to can or freeze them all.... I'd like to try preserving them in the root cellar if possible... Thanks!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Fiddlehead Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
4562 Posts
Diane
Waupaca
WI
USA
4562 Posts |
Posted - Sep 08 2010 : 4:42:53 PM
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Elizabeth, I saw this too. I remember it was just plain parafin wax and you leave about 3-4 inches of stem and dip it into the hot parafin wax. Just the stem though. Then place them in a cool dry place. I hope this helps! I am canning my pie pumpkins, but am going to try this with my winter squash.
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Happy to be a "Raggedy Ann" in a Barbie World! |
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highlandviewpantry
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
WV
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2010 : 05:03:00 AM
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I am going to have to give this a try! My ten year old son did a great job on the pumpkin patch this year and we are overloaded.
www.thehighlandviewpantry.blogspot.com |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2010 : 08:05:43 AM
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thank you so much, Diane! How do you can your pumpkins? use a pressure canner and can them plain? I've cooked them down, pureed, and frozen them the last few years, but was running out of space, so finally bought a pressure canner. But I found this delicious looking recipe for pickled pumpkin that just uses a regular water bath, so I'm going to try my hand at that. Now I'm running out of space for cans, so that's why I wanted to try the wax thing..... plus, DH loves his squash just baked in the oven. I'll give it a try and let you know how everything turns out! Thanks again!
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Fiddlehead Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
4562 Posts
Diane
Waupaca
WI
USA
4562 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2010 : 4:04:20 PM
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Elizabeth, I quater the pumpkins or squash and place them skin down in a shallow pan with some water in it. I then bake them at 350 until they are soft. I then scrape out the meat and run it through my food mill. I pressure can it plain, you can add spices or sweetener when you are ready to use it. Works great and can be used for pies, breads, etc...
You can only water bath them if they are pickled like that recipe you found. They are low acid so pressure canning is the only way to do them.
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Happy to be a "Raggedy Ann" in a Barbie World! |
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Cabin Dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
54 Posts
Brenda
Cortland
NY
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2010 : 05:57:39 AM
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I had never heard of waxing the stems. I will definitely give this a try. I froze most of my squash and pumpkin last year. Previous years I ended up tossing rotted squash into the compost pile instead of baking them in the oven. I kept the squash in a cool room upstairs and would forget about them at meal time - until I smelled them -which was too late! lol
Farmgirl #1954 |
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SheilaC
True Blue Farmgirl
1948 Posts
Sheila
Vermont
USA
1948 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2010 : 06:56:39 AM
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| Elizabeth, I'm "relatively" new to canning (only~4 years) and I'm kind of self-taught by reading books, etc. so if I sound like some fuddy-duddy rule follower, that's why :) But--I'd read in many different places that you're not to can pureed squash, it's too dense so doesn't process correctly. They rather suggest to pressure can the chunks and then puree them when you're ready to use them. What I always find a pain about this however, is the skinning :) |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2010 : 1:00:14 PM
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Thanks very much for that tip, Sheila.... I don't know if I would have found that in my books or not.
Here's my next question.... I found it much easier to cut the rinds first, cut the squash into chunks and then boil it. That works if you are going to puree and freeze it....
But, if you are to pressure can the chunks, I'm guessing boiling them first might not be the best idea. Do you do anything to the chunks before putting them in the pressure canner jars? Do you boil, bake, or steam them first, as you do with some veggies, like carrots? Or just put them in the jars raw? With boiling water? I should just go look up the information, but it's more fun to discuss it on here... :)
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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SheilaC
True Blue Farmgirl
1948 Posts
Sheila
Vermont
USA
1948 Posts |
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Farm Kitchen: Waxing squash/pumpkin stems |
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Waxing squash/pumpkin stems
