Pumpkin Butter, As Made in the North Woods

Take out the seeds of 1 pumpkin, cut it in small pieces and boil it soft; take 3 other pumpkins, cut them in pieces and boil them soft; put them in a coarse bag and press out the juice; add the juice to the first pumpkin and let it boil 10 hours or more to become the thickness of butter; stir often. If the pumpkins are frozen the juice will come out much nicer. Remarks: All I have to guide me as to the "North Woods" manner of making is that on the back of the slip cut from some newspaper; there was the date of the paper - Feb. 7, 1880 - also "Sleighing fair," and "Loggers feel better," therefore, to know that "loggers felt better," they must have that class of persons among them; and hence it was from some northern paper, where loggers in the winter do congregate. It will make a good butter if boiled carefully to avoid burning. I should say boil the juice at least half away before putting in the nicely cut pieces of the 1 pumpkin, boiling it soft in the juice of 3 other ones, after its reduction one half. It makes a very good substitute for cows butter, and for apple butter, too. But I must say if I used frozen pumpkins to obtain the juice from, I should not want the one frozen that was to be cut up to make the butter of. I think it would not be as good if frozen. If any of these butters are too sour add good brown sugar to make it sweet enough to suit the taste. --Ann Arbor, 1884 Source: Walnut Pickles and Watermelon Cake, A Century of Michigan Cooking, Larry B. Massie and Priscilla Massie. Penny Halsey (ATBN65B) Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V3 #190 Date: 07/03/96 From: eboyd@shentel.net