Pumpkin processing day

I posted this as a thread on X but wanted to write it out in full for anyone interested.

It's that time of year. I've posted in past years about our pumpkin processing from our garden pumpkins. We had a great harvest this year with 11 pumpkins total before the freeze killed the plant, although one didn't ripen on the plant, and the plant was dying before the freeze but still alive in some ways. That was weird.

Note: Pumpkins that ripen on the plant are sweet and delicious for use. Pumpkins picked while still green and ripened off the plant remain bitter. We discovered this a few years ago and will only process pumpkins that ripened to orange on the plant.

The gap had a pumpkin in it, but the pic was taken
after that one was cleaned and put in the oven.

We're only going to cook 2-3 pumpkins this year, but that will still provide a few gallons worth of puree, especially when the rinds are 1.5-2 inches thick and pumpkins are about 18-24 inches in diameter as shown in the next pic.

Half of the first pumpkin to be processed for
seeds and puree.

Here's the process for anyone wanting to know:

1. Remove innards
2. Cut fruit in half
3. Bake @ 350 F for about 2 hrs (until rinds are soft enough to press in/maybe browning and even collapsing, which is when the skin peels off after it cools a little)
4. Let cool (and bake the next half pumpkin)
5. Scoop out rind and puree
6. Measure puree into freezer bags (we put 2 cups per quart freezer bag) and press out as much air as possible before zipping shut. Lay these flat on pan, and when the pan is full, put it in the freezer.

It really is that easy, but it is a long day and a long process. This year, we decided to buy a new Ninja with a larger blender container (72 oz) for this. We had been using a small Ninja with the largest (24 oz) cup, which took forever. This year, with the larger blender, it should go a bit faster, at least on pureeing and packaging side.

The seeds of all the pumpkins will be cleaned and baked also. For that, they need to be separated from the pith, then the prep begins:

1. Wash seeds in clean water only (nothing else).
2. Lay seeds out to dry on a pan or cookie sheet.
3. Once dry, put seeds in a large bowl and pour on just enough olive oil to coat them without soaking them. Start out light and mix the seeds. If not enough oil, you can always add more a little at a time. (The oil will help salt or seasonings stick.)
4. Add salt to taste (or other seasonings) and mix seeds to evenly distribute.
5. Put parchment paper on cookie sheet.
6. Spread seeds out one layer thick on cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 350 F until they start browning. Do not overcook!
8. Set out to cool, then pour into bowl.
9. Repeat steps 5-8 until all seeds are cooked.
10. Put seeds away (do not need to be refrigerated) and enjoy.

What pumpkins we don't bake gets turned into jack o'lanterns/decorations for Halloween.

Happy autumn!

ps--We ended up with 4 gallons (32 freezer bags with 2 cups per bag) of puree put away in our freezer for this year, from only two pumpkins. That's plenty, especially since most will be given away to family.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, even those who don't celebrate the holiday. I hope you all have a wonderful day and appreciate the many blessings in your life, starting with having a life and the cognitive ability to understand this sentiment.

Thanksgiving is about more than stuffing your face, time with family, and (for some) watching football (American). It was celebrated originally by the European settlers to North America who were helped by the natives to survive in a land that was new to them. It was an innocent time when those people were grateful to simply survive. They didn't judge one another based on skin color or political or religious affiliation but simply shared resources and were grateful to be alive. (I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but they did give thanks for what they had.)

That is the spirit of the holiday--gratitude. That is something that we should practice every day, but this day has been set aside as a U.S. holiday, and it should not be forsaken nor corrupted. Gratitude in all that we have is something we should feel every morning that we wake up, another day to live.

According to Psychology Today:

Psychologists find that, over time, feeling grateful boosts happiness and fosters both physical and psychological health, even among those already struggling with mental health problems. Studies show that practicing gratitude curbs the use of words expressing negative emotions and shifts inner attention away from such negative emotions as resentment and envy, minimizing the possibility of ruminating over them (a hallmark of depression). 

Further, the beneficial effects snowball over time. Brain scans of people assigned a task that stimulates expression of gratitude show lasting changes in the prefrontal cortex that heighten sensitivity to future experiences of gratitude. The emotion literally pays itself forward.

Gratitude is the key to joy. So, celebrate all that is worthwhile in your life--family, health, life, and all the little blessings that come your way--and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A nice winter day?!

If you can call 10 F that "feels like" -6 F nice, then, yeah, it was a nice day.

After a brief morning snowfall, the sun came out. Although the morning temperature and breeze were higher, the afternoon turned sunny and calm. It's the wind that gets you!

I hadn't seen my Buddy in two weeks and was overdue for a horse fix. I also missed visiting with my family. I thought I could try going out earlier in the day, but the interstate was slippery and I started fish-tailing before getting too far, so I turned back disappointed.

But after the sun was out for a while and I'd eaten lunch, I was feeling more confident and suspected that the roads might be better. They were. The sun had helped melt away the ice and I drove out to the farm on this cold but nice winter day. All bundled up, I stayed warm on my walk out in the pasture to bring my boy up to the barn. Inside the old barn, I gave him his supplements and the little bit of sweet feed that helps the medicine go down. Vitamin E is invaluable for him, especially for muscle recovery when he's out in the cold weather. A little SmartGut Ultra doesn't hurt either.

Nature has certainly upped the ante on the weather tolerance. My boy has finally become a fluffball:

He could get fluffier, but I'm glad to see that he has this much. He and his herd were playing when I walked out to catch him, so that was good to see also, as was the belly he's keeping through this time, the coldest period of our winters--January and February. He's doing well, but I still feel guilty when I don't get out to check on him.  Spring is going to be a pain, though--a lot of that hair ends up on me.

But for now, I'm happy because Buddy is happy, even if he's "roughing it". I've learned that the best care for a horse physically and mentally is what is natural to them. He has a pretty good life!

Be flexible

We only get one life to live.

I understand that now. For too long, I thought I had to write every day to be a writer, or reach a minimum word count. I sacrificed my family to pursue it. You know what? It's not worth the sacrifice, no matter how big the dream. When you're young, it seems like nothing is happening, despite the small steps. But at some point, you realize all that you missed. Then it's time to play catch-up in a different way.

Don't go through life with blinkers on. (Blinkers are the flaps on a driving bridle that keep the horse from seeing what's behind him and might frighten him.) Like that horse that only can see ahead instead of everything around him, you'll be missing out on many things. Rather, be willing to deviate and make adjustments.

I've learned that I don't have to write every day to be a writer or to reach a goal. I'll get there in the end, but I don't have to race ahead on only one focus. I've learned to deviate when I need to and can always return to the path I left after exploring the path I didn't see because of the proverbial blinkers I used to wear. I've done that in writing a couple of books now--breaking from one project somewhere in the middle to go off on another--and I've learned that it tends to work out for the best. I've also decided not to force myself to write if I'm not in the mood. There are plenty of other things going on around me, especially with my family. When I lock myself up with the computer, I shut them out and I shut myself out of their lives.

We only get one life. Take advantage of ALL that it has to offer. Don't die with the regrets of what dreams you don't accomplish. Rather, live so that in the end, you are fulfilled by the richness you discovered by being willing to take a different path than what you thought you wanted.