20 Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

Last year my porch was stacked with long-neck pumpkins (otherwise known as butternut squash). This year was a pumpkin growing failure but a friend gave us two huge neck pumpkins. I cooked one of the pumpkins and it made over 30 pint of pureed pumpkin!

But we love all the many ways to enjoy pumpkin, so it is a delight to have such abundance.

I was sorting through my pumpkin recipes and realized there are a lot of pumpkin recipes shared here at Home Joys through the years. I decided to make a index with links for the recipes to make it easier for you and I to find our favorites.



 Pumpkin Pie Squares



Flo's Pumpkin Pecan Braid



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies



Flo's Sour Cream Pumpkin Coffee Cake



Ugly Pumpkin Cookies



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins - a Sunday evening tradition at our house




Pumpkin Angel Food Cake




Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Spiced Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Curry Soup

My Mom's Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Granola Cookies



Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie



Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars



Pumpkin Pudding



Spiced Pumpkin Butter



Pumpkin Pancakes



Pumpkin Squares with Cider Caramel Sauce



Pumpkin Dinner Rolls



Pumpkin Torte - I saved the best recipe for last. This is our hands-down favorite pumpkin dessert.

What is your favorite way to enjoy pumpkin?

Goal Week - Christmas Countdown

Last year I did an eight week countdown series on preparing for Christmas. I aimed to combine practical tips on preparing for Christmas with some Scriptural insights on preparation.

This year, with a baby due at the beginning of January, I am even more motivated to organize my life. I have a lot of goals that I wish to accomplish the next three months. I know they won't all be completed but the more organized and proactive I am, the greater the chance that a few will be crossed off the list.

Several of you have expressed interest in a countdown for this year. Instead of rewriting or re-posting the entire series, for the next eight Mondays, I plan to link to last year's series plus add in a few other related posts and maybe some printable worksheets.

This week, October 12-17, is goal week. It is an opportunity to consider what is important to you and your family this Christmas. I know that families vary greatly on what they consider important. Here is your chance to analyze whether you are continuing a holiday tradition that has lost its significance to your family.

Prepare - Goal Week  - last year's post

Goal Brainstorming Worksheet - a free printable

What Makes a Christmas Meaningful? - more tips on focusing on Christ during Christmas.

What about you? Are you a planner or would you rather wait until December to start Christmas preparations?

Book Review - Somewhere in the Skies

Why do we read sad books?

I pondered that question when reading Somewhere in the Skies by Becky McGurrin. Every reader who picks up the book knows that it will be a sad story since it tells of the farm accident that took the lives of Scott and Phyllis Showalter, their two daughters, and their employee.

Yet, we read it anyway.

Could it be that we all know that we will face sorrow in this life?

Some day, sooner or later, we will grieve at our loved ones' graveside. Some day we will reach our own appointment with death. Unless the Lord returns first, these are facts of life. Do we read others' stories to be reminded that God's grace will be with us when we face those dark days?

Somewhere in the Skies is told mostly through the eyes of Scott's mother Reba. It combines the stories of several others who were affected by the tragedy. And yes, I cried, especially when reading of the two little girls who were left behind.

But it isn't a depressing book. I love the focus on the hope we have in heaven. Even though life on this earth is short, we can find a peace in God's promises.

You can purchase Somewhere in the Skies from CLP.

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

September Garden Plans

 What happened to the last weeks? I realize that it is too late in the month to be talking about what we plan to do in September as the month is nearly over. But just for my records, I'm doing this post anyway. 

(And hoping that it doesn't take me as long to get October's garden planning post up.)

September can be a wonderful gardening month. The weather usually cools, making picking more pleasant than in August but the harvest is often abundant.

We spent Saturday making applesauce. I love the fall aroma of apples cooking on the stove. (The sad part is that we need at least 100 quart of applesauce so this won't be my last applesauce making day this fall.)

The problem with September is that I'm usually burned out. No longer are fresh veggies exciting as in the spring. I've given up the war with the weeds and bugs. Chewed leaves no longer make me angry. "Just eat the old things and see if I care."

But this month did see the end of the major garden preserving and I am slowly finding that I once again enjoy walking out in the garden for a few peppers, handful of green beans, and some red beets. Soon we will be harvesting cabbage and broccoli.

The tomato plants are mostly dead but I haven't pulled them out since we are still enjoying an occasional tomato. And the peppers are still lovely. Not sure what they are living on since I quit watering them.

The garden isn't the lovely sight it was in early summer but the areas we had mulched or planted a cover crop are nearly weed free. It does make me a little sad to think that soon a frost will bring and end to the fresh garden eating.

Here is my list of jobs for September month in my garden.

1. Take each opportunity to enjoy the garden produce – even when enthusiasm is flagging.

2. Plant lettuce, spinach, and kale in the cold frame.

3. As areas of the garden are finished for the season, add compost, lime, mulch or plant a cover crop. In our late corn patch, I just cut down the stalks and let them fall. They will rot down by spring.

4. Save seeds. I only saved tomato and zinnia seeds this year but I hope to learn more about seed saving in the future. Regina shared about saving flowerseeds in a past post. 

5. Since our weather has been very dry, keep watering the fall cabbage and broccoli. Also water the new strawberry patch. In the photo above you can see the strawberries with the soaker hose.This is the greenest part of our garden (and also the weediest.)

Is your garden over? Or are you enjoying a fall garden?

Make Your Own Marble Roller Coaster From Paper

 We spent a fun Sunday afternoon building a marble roller coaster using only paper and tape. 



We were inspired by the video of Andrew Gatt's paper roller coaster. Ours was not nearly as impressive but a fun challenge for our family.



And it was only our first attempt. I expect we will spend more afternoons crafting more elaborate designs this winter.



We bought Andrew Gatt's download and were impressed by the directions and patterns. This would be a great project for a school teacher. We plan to do this with our homeschool group.



And when you are done - you get to watch the marbles.

What fun projects does your family do on lazy afternoons? (Naps don't count, of course.)

How to Make Oil-Packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I have dried tomatoes for several years, but I have had trouble rehydrating them easily for use.

Last year I tried placing them in oil - and found a winner. They were ready for instant use on pizza or salad. This year, I made sure that I had two jars of these tomatoes stored for winter. An added benefit is that one quart jar will hold a pan full of tomatoes - a great space saver in the pantry.

Here was the steps I followed.

1. Dehydrate tomatoes. I followed these directions for drying tomatoes. I like to dry them until they are leathery. When making tomato powder, I like to dehydrate a little longer until they are crispy. But for oil-packed tomatoes, I like them to still be bendable but with no moisture remaining.

2. Next I set up a dipping station. For safety, I dip the dried tomatoes in apple-cider vinegar. I use tongs to dip the tomato slices in vinegar, allow to drip for a few seconds, then layer them in a quart jar.

I continue dipping and layering until I have used all the tomatoes.

3. I then fill the jar with olive oil - making sure the tomatoes are completely covered with oil. This seems like a lot of oil but it won't be wasted. After using the tomatoes, I love to make salad dressing with this tomato-infused oil.

As the the tomatoes soak up the oil, they may sink down further in the jar. If you are making more batches of dehydrated tomatoes, you can add more vinegar-dipped tomatoes to the jar, adding more oil if needed.

4. Store the jar of oil-packed tomatoes in a dark place.The color of the tomatoes will change but they will stay tasty for over a year.

5. To use, fish out a tomato with a clean fork. Chop and add to a salad or pizza. Enjoy the intense flavor of summer.

How to Save Tomato Seeds

I remember an old friend of our family who, every time he ate an especially yummy tomato, would squeeze out a few seeds into a bowl to save for next year. In the spring, he had a bowl of "who-knows-what-kind" of tomato seeds to plant.

I enjoy trying new things and this year, just for fun, I decided to save some of my own tomato seeds to plant next year. But I chose to be a little more deliberate about my seed saving than our friend.

First I chose a lovely Amish Paste tomato from the garden. 

Amish Paste is an open-pollinated (sometimes called an heirloom) tomato. This means that it is not a hybrid. A hybrid is created by crossing to different parent plants to make seed for a new hybrid variety. Seeds saved from a hybrid tomato will not produce tomatoes like the tomato they were taken from so choose an open-pollinated tomato.

Tomato flowers will generally fertilize themselves so even if you grow several kinds of tomatoes, you should have pure seed. It is possible, especially for larger flowering varieties, to cross pollinate and make their own hybrid, but from what I've read, it is not likely.

Choose a tomato that has the characteristics that you want. I chose a tomato from a plant that had been slow to catch blight, in hopes that it has some genetic resistance to blight. You might choose your earliest, tastiest, largest, healthiest, or other characteristic that you wish to select for next year.

You will still get to eat the tomato, so it is not a sacrifice to choose the best.

Cut open the tomato and squeeze some seeds into a jar. If you have several varieties of tomatoes, be sure to label each jar.

At this point I chose to ferment the tomato seeds. This is not absolutely necessary but it helps the tomato seeds to separate from the gel and can help get rid of the bad seeds.

Make sure the seeds are covered with liquid. If the tomato did not have enough juice, just add a little water to the jar.

Set the jar in a dark place for 3 to 5 days.

The seeds will probably grow a layer of mold on top. That is normal. Just remove the mold and add some more water and stir. Wait a few minutes. The good seeds should sink. Carefully pour off the water and the bad seeds and bits of pulp.

I used a sieve to help pour off the remaining water.

I rinsed the seeds until none of the pulp remained.

Then place the seeds on a paper plate or piece of newspaper. Don't use a paper towel because the seeds will stick and be nearly impossible to remove. But don't use a plastic or glass plate as you want the water to be absorbed. 

Let the seeds completely dry for a day or two. Then place the seeds in an airtight container or bag. Tomato seeds will last for years at room temperature and will last even longer if kept in the refrigerator or freezer - as long as they are kept completely dry.

Next spring, I'll let you know how these seeds grow.

Have you ever saved tomato seeds?