Peter Piper's Pickled Pumpkin

Name: Peter Piper's Pickled Pumpkin
Cook time: P1H
Total time: P7H
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients: pumpkin; sugar; vinegar; water; cinnamon sticks; ginger root; crystallized ginger (candied); allspice; cloves; orange juice, concentrated

Submitted by Florinha

Pickled pumpkin with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and orange juice in a sweet vinegar brine. A unique fall preserve that’s perfect for canning and gifting.

YIELD

8 servings

PREP

20 min

COOK

1 hrs

READY

7 hrs

This pickled pumpkin transforms plain pumpkin chunks into a spiced, sweet-sour preserve that tastes like autumn in a jar. Cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, cloves, and fresh or crystallized ginger simmer in a vinegar-sugar brine with orange juice concentrate, creating a fragrant syrup that permeates every piece.

The pumpkin cooks in the spiced brine just until barely tender, about 30 minutes. You want the chunks firm enough to hold their shape in the jar, not falling-apart soft. Overcooked pumpkin turns to mush during canning and you’ll end up with pumpkin sauce instead of distinct pickled pieces.

This is a boiling water bath canning recipe, so it stores on the shelf for months. Makes a fantastic homemade gift during the holidays.

Pro Tips

Cut uniform 1-inch chunks. Even pieces cook at the same rate. Mix big and small and some will be mushy while others are still raw.
Stir constantly while dissolving the sugar. The high sugar content scorches easily on the bottom of the pot.
Tie the whole spices in cheesecloth for easy removal. Loose cloves and allspice berries look messy in the finished jars and keep intensifying over time.
Release air bubbles by running a non-metal utensil along the inside of each jar before sealing. Trapped air pockets can prevent a proper seal.

Variations

Honey-spiced pumpkin: Replace half the sugar with honey for a more complex, floral sweetness.
Bourbon pumpkin pickles: Stir a tablespoon of bourbon into each jar before sealing for a boozy, warming twist.

Ingredients

EACH PUMPKIN
5 to 6 pounds *

4-5

CUPS SUGAR
or sugar and honey to make 4-5 cups

QUART VINEGAR
white or cider *

CUPS WATER

EACH CINNAMON STICK *

INCH GINGER ROOT
or *

CUP CRYSTALLIZED GINGER (CANDIED)
chopped *

TABLESPOON ALLSPICE
whole

1 ½

TEASPOONS CLOVES
whole

OUNCES ORANGE JUICE, CONCENTRATED
thawed

Directions

Organize and prepare ingredients, equipment, and work space.
Wash the pumpkin, cut it in 1 inch chunks, and peel. You should have about 4 quarts of chunks.
In a preserving kettle, combine sugar (or sugar honey combination), vinegar, water, and spices. (Tie spices in cheesecloth, if desired.)
Heat over high heat until boiling, STIRRING CONSTANTLY.
Continue to heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the pumpkin chunks and orange juice concentrate and heat to boiling.
Reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until pumpkin is just barely tender, about 30 minutes.
Ladle into hot jars to within ¼ inch of tops, spooning in the hot liquid from kettle.

Run a slim, non metal tool down along the insides of jars to release any air bubbles.

Add additional hot liquid to within ¼ inch of tops, if necessary.

Wipe tops and threads of jars with a damp clean cloth.
Put the lids and screw bands in place as manufacturer directs.
Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Follow basic steps for boiling water bath canning.