Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-06
THE TIME-HoNoRED PUMPKIN.

reserved by Banning Co., Chicago).
THE TIME-HoNoRED PUMPKIN.
The pumpkin is essentially holiday
fruit, as it's season from September to
January covers the three great Ameri-
can festival and feast days, Thanksgiy-
ing, Christmas and New Years, the
greatest of these being Thanksgiving,
as this is conceded to be indisputably
American, not in the origin of the har-
vest festival, but because of the events
which led that small band of sorely-
tried but brave and heroic people-our
New England forefathers, to adjust an
ancient ceremony to a proper and be-
fitting celebration and thanksgiving to
kind and merciful Providence for a
bountiful harvest from new and un-
tried soil in strange land.
Imagine Thanksgiving dinner with
out pumpkin pie. The fiaky rounds of
mince may be reserved for the Christ
mas feast, but "the golden squares Of
pumpkin '-evidently the original ortho-
COX shape of the pie-was the golden
vision that made our childish mouths
"get kind O. watery," and filed our
minds with happy anticipation of the
unlimited good things we We're to enjoy
with unchided appetite at grandmoth-
er's Thanksgiving dinner.
Imagine, too, an American cookbook
without at least one receipt for making
this golden crown of the Thanks feast
of golden harvest celebrated in the
golden days of the year. Or, imagine
"a soul with taste and fancy SO dead,
they would as soon have squash pie in
stead.'
All the possibilities of the pumpkin
are not limited to pie and pastry, how
ever as reference TO many old and some
new cook books will show.
Pumpkin PURGE.
For six or eight persons take three
pounds of pumpkin, cut into pieces and
pared. Place in a double boiler, sprin-
kle with a little salt, cover with water
and let cook until SOFT then drain very
dry, as there must be no water in it,
then pass through colander. Put
about three pints of milk in your sauce
pan, add the strained pumpkin and stir
until it comes to a boil; add very little
sugar and salt and pepper to taste. A
few drops of. onion juice or little lem
on juice may be added. Serve very hot.
Baked Pumpkin.
Cut slices a quarter of an inch thick
from a pumpkin; peel and put a layer in
the bottom of a baking dish; sprinkle
generously with sugar, then little
ground cinnamon and dot with small
pieces of butter. Fill the dish in this
manner, covering the top well with SUI
gar. Place in a moderately hot oven
and bake until the sugar becomes syr-
upy. Another method is as follows:
Cut the pumpkin into four-inch squares,
but do not peel. Bake until soft, then
scrape out the pulp from the shells,
season with pepper and salt and moist
en- with a little hot cream or melted
butter and serve same as squash.
Pumpkin Loaf.
Take a quart of slowed pumpkin
drained and mashed fine; season with q
teaspoonTul of salt, add a tablespoonful
Of sugar, a teaspoonful Of baking soda,
dissolved in a little hot water and three
pints of white corn meal or very fine
cracker meal. Add a little milk or
cream if it seems too dry. Mix thor
oughly and steam three hours, then
bake for one hour. Eat hot with a
hard sauce.
Pumpkin MarmaIsde.
Cut ripe yellow pumpkin into large
pieces, pare, scrape out the seeds and
then weigh. To every pound allow
pound of sugar and an orange or lemon.
Crate the pumpkin on coarse crater and
put it into a preserving kettle with the
sugar, the grated rind of the orange or
lemon and the strained juice. Let it
boil slowly, stirring frequently and
skimming well until you have smooth,
thick marmalade. While still hot pour
it into glass or china Jars or tumblers.
filling not quite full. When cold pour
over the top a covering of melted par
ATTN, cover with the lid of brown paper
and keep in a, cool dark place.
Preserved Pumpkin.
Select a sound, ripe pumpkin, cut in
to pieces about two inches long and an
inch wide; scrape out the seeds and
then boil the pumpkin gently in clear
water until tender enough to pierce
with a straw. Then drain and weigh
y vail pouiii VI puiilphlH allow
pound of white sugar and a lemon to
every four pounds. Add the lemon
sliced, the sugar and half a cup of wa
ter for every pound of sugar. Let boil
gently until a clear syrup is formed,
carefully removing the scum as it
arises; then put in the pumpkin, cook
gently until it looks transparent, place
the pumpkin in glass jars, boil down
the syrup few minutes then pour over
the fruit and seal like other preserves.
Canned Pumpkin.
1t may be stewed as for pies, placed
boiling hot in glass jars and sealed
quickly or cut into inch cubes, pare,
scrape out seeds and stringy part, cook
in clear water or very weak syrup I'M
til tender enough to eat, then place in