Freezing Pumpkin after Making Homemade Pumpkin Pies

Now that you have cut your pumpkin to make your homemade pumpkin pies, you need to either can or freeze the remaining pumpkin to use in other recipes or for holiday pumpkin pies.
Fresh organic pumpkins will only store without freezing for so long. However, if you cut your pumpkin to make a pie, you have to do something immediately to preserve it.
Freezing your freshly cooked pumpkin is easy and makes it handy for baking your next pumpkin pie, bread or doughnut recipes.

“This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.” According to nutritiondata.self.com

Pumpkin is low in calories and fat but high in vitamin A. Pumpkin also has traces of many vitamins and minerals.

 Ingredients to Freeze Pumpkin:

• Freshly cooked pumpkin
• Large stockpot/pressure cooker
• Freezer containers or bags
• Measuring cup
• Marker pen

Instructions to Freeze Pumpkin:

1.     Using a large stockpot or pressure cooker, cook down the pumpkin. Scrape the meat into a large bowl. Use a mixer or blender to smooth out all the lumps.

2.     With a measuring cup, scoop the pumpkin into either your freezer containers or freezer bags.

3.  Mark your freezer container or bag with a marking pen so you know what and how much is in it. After it is in the freezer for a few months, you might actually forget, so marking the containers is essential.

4.     Place the containers in your freezer for the next holiday or occasion to use pumpkin in a recipe. There is nothing like fresh organic pumpkin in your bread or pie recipes, therefore, freezing the pumpkin that you've grown only makes perfect sense to me.

***Update: After learning to cook pumpkin the hard way; over the years I have learned to do things quicker and smarter. Cut the pumpkin in 1/2, remove the seeds and place in a 375 Degree (F) oven and bake 1-1 1/2 or until soft. 

Freezing Bell Peppers: a Tutorial

Freezing bell peppers: a tutorial is for people with an abundance of bell peppers in their garden, or who purchase bell peppers in their local grocery stores when they are on sale. There is never a good reason for a pepper to rot in the vegetable draw of the refrigerator, as freezing bell peppers is so easy.

Freezing bell peppers has heath benefits:

Bell peppers added to any recipe will add a mere 24 calories, however, will add oh so many vitamins. Bell peppers whether sweet or fiery hot, add over 100% of your daily need of vitamins A and C in just 1-cup. Freezing bell peppers whether fresh from your garden, a farmers market or even your local grocery store simply makes nutritional sense.

According to WebMD, “Go for a variety of colors in peppers to get the biggest bang for your buck. Red bell peppers are a good source of fiber, folate, vitamin K, and the minerals molybdenum and manganese. And, they're especially rich in nutrients and phytochemicals such as:

• Vitamin A, which may help preserve eyesight, and fend off infections
• Vitamin C, which may lower cancer risk and protect against cataracts
• Vitamin B6, which is vital for essential chemical reactions throughout the body, including those involving brain and immune function
• Lutein and zeaxanthin, which may slow the development of eye diseases, such as cataracts or macular degeneration
• Beta-carotene, which may help protect against certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer in women before menopause
• Lycopene, which may decrease the risk for ovarian cancer”

Freezing bell peppers a nightshade plant:

The downside according to Ygoy.com is that peppers are part of the nightshade family of plants and people having arthritis may find joint flare-ups when eating nightshade plants such as green peppers. Ygoy explains, “Nightshade vegetables contain solanine which is a glycoalkaloid. Properties of this compound are given below
This compound is toxic if consumed in high doses

·       This compound is toxic if consumed in high doses

·       It has the potential to affect the enzymatic reactions which involve calcium hence resulting in weakening of the bones and joints.”

 

 Things needed for freezing bell peppers: a tutorial:

• Garden/Farmers Market/Sale shopping skills
• Green, Red, Yellow or Orange Peppers
• Plastic Freezer Bags
• Sharp knife
• Marking pen 

Instructions for freezing bell peppers: a tutorial:

1. Pick the bell peppers from your garden as they come on or ripen and especially if you have heard the hard freeze is coming over night. Peppers will freeze very easily.
2. Place the bell peppers in the kitchen sink and wash them well. Even if they are organic peppers they need washed.
3. Cut your bell peppers in ½ length wise and removing all the seeds and the rinse them again.washed.
4. Take the bell pepper halves and cute in bite size pieces or slices. The size of the pieces will depend on how you will use them in your recipes.
5. Put the pepper chunks in freezer bags; mark the freezer bag with the month and year. Place the full bags whether quart of gallon size in the freezer in manner so they will freeze quickly.
6. Making your favorite recipes just became easier, instead of running to the store, just go to your freezer. It is a little extra work freezing bell peppers now; however the work will pay off later.

Freezing or Canning Tomato Salsa

With the garden season upon us, and tomatoes growing and coming on faster than you can eat them fresh the thoughts of making your salsa recipe comes to mind.

Once you have made your tomato salsa or your zucchini tomato salsa; there is a good chance you will be unable to eat it all, however, why should you? By freezing or canning your salsa, you will have that fresh summer taste all year long. Make your tomato salsa or zucchini tomato salsa either using my recipe or using a recipe of your own. 

Instructions to Freeze or Can Tomato Salsa

1. Wash your freezer container and or canning jars. I do not care if they are brand new or old containers you have used for years. Wash them in hot soap water.
2. If you are freezing your salsa, put the hot salsa into your freezer containers leaving an inch head space. It will expand when in the freezer so if the container is to full it will pop open the lid. Let it cool completely and place in the freezer. ** Don't forget to label (so it is easier to identify when looking for it) and date so you know what year it was frozen so it is not kept to long.
3. If you are using the water bath canning method, use a large stockpot or pressure cooker with enough water in it to cover the jars, heat the water until boiling. While that is heating pour, your hot salsa into hot pint canning jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Take a wet paper towel and wipe off the lip of the jar so you will have a clean seal.
4. Put the warmed canning lid on and tighten the canning ring. Snug it on. Place it in the hot water bath (with the lid of the pot on) and process for 40 minutes. If you are using the pressure cooker without pressure do not tighten down the lid. Simply cover to keep heat in.
5. When you take the jars out of the hot water bath, set the hot jars on a dry towel to cool. Keep the jars separated, so the air can circulate though them to cool evenly.
6. Let your jars set out on the counter for at least 24 hours to make sure the jars remain sealed before putting in your pantry. Mark the lid with the name of the product and the month, date and year.  

Read More: Salsa Recipe made from Scratch

Road Trip to the Lighthouse on Lake Michigan

Afternoon sunset

On Thursday January 24, 2013, I went on a small road trip to the lighthouse on Lake Michigan with my niece. It is less than a one-hour drive, however, the amount of snow on the ground there with the winds coming off Lake Michigan was a huge difference compared to here.
 

Frozen railing

The beauty of the ice on the pier, the railing, the ice covered light on the end of the southern pier as well as the ice covered lighthouse on the northern pier was a site to see.

Water splashing

It is awesome to see the flowing water as it splashes up against a frozen chunk making it even larger each time it hits and freezes. Also amazing is watching the ice bob up and down when the waves come in. If it had not been for the cold temperatures, I could have sat down and watched that for quite some time. However, the pier being snow and ice covered was not inviting to my butt. It was not the type of weather, where you set on the pier, dangling your legs and put your feet in the water.

Crazy kayaker

Isn't it angelic looking?

One kayaker did not view the cold water in the manner I did, as he was out there paddling his kayak around in the freezing water. At one point he perched himself on a big chuck of ice, at first I thought he was there inviting me to take his picture but then realized he was taking a moment for a photo op of the ice covered lighthouse. He was definitely going to get a different vantage point from all the others we saw that day.

Ice covered Lighthouse.

If you get an opportunity to take a road trip this winter viewing the Icy Lighthouse on the St. Joseph River/Lake Michigan, in St. Joseph Michigan is beautiful.