Make Your Own Homemade PUMPKIN PASTA

 

Pumpkin Pasta Hanging To Dry

I've been itching for my little Heirloom New England Pumpkins to cure. Now as they are ready I couldn't wait to put up some Pumpkin Pasta. 

I try to pick a quiet day just for making pasta. While it does take a few hours to finish up a batch, it is so rewarding to put it up in the pantry!

This is a great way to use some of those garden goodies. It's also a great way to kick in the Fall Season as well! 

Let me tell you, I am so in love with these little New England Pie Pumpkins! They really are all everyone says about them. No strings inside!!! Beautiful plump seeds!! Sweet Flesh and most of all once cooked there is hardly any of all that extra liquid draining off. 

Next growing season the New England Pies are on big time in the garden! 

Big Fat Pumpkin Dough Ball

The night before I made my pumpkin puree. Instead of roasting the little New England Pie, I simply cut it in wedges and peeled the skin off. I then placed them in a pot and steamed them. It was quick, fast and easy. Possibly even healthier because steaming doesn't cook all the nutrients out like roasting or boiling does.

So the first thing you do the next day is make your pumpkin dough for the pasta. It's really easy! I have a basic recipe I go by that uses 1 1/3 cup Organic Unbleached Flour, a good pinch of kosher or sea salt, 4 large eggs, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Then add 1 cup of pureed pumpkin.

Now the flour can be adjusted. I love to mill my own using things from the garden like my Hopi Red Amaranth. Other grains can be used as well to help cut down on the gluten as well as getting away from that Hybrid Wheat that most wheat and white flour is made from.

For a step by step tutorial visit my post where I made pasta from spinach and amaranth from the garden. You will find some pretty good photos to go with it.  

As all those pretty pumpkins come out this season, remember they're not just good for decorations. Stock up and put some up in the freezer for cooking and baking this year. Check out my post on how to roast and puree pumpkins for the freezer. I think you will find them much more flavorful and healthier than the canned pumpkin you find at the supermarket. 

Happy Fall and Happy Gardening!

Pammy

Love And Respect For The Land: Moo Poo Tea In The Garden

Moo Poo Tea Bags

How can gardening get any sweeter than Moo Poo Tea Bags! Are these not just the cutest things you've ever seen? As soon as I opened my package, I just couldn't wait to get a photo of them nestled in a basket filled with wheat straw from our garden. Oh yes! These will certainly make a divine addition to a gift basket for my garden loving friends. Can you see a garden theme too? Some seeds saved from your garden, a smallish watering can, perhaps much needed new gloves and some vintage or homemade garden stakes.

What's even more exciting than all of that is the story behind them and how easy it is to get some down to earth natural brew your plants will adore you for! I'm talking about Composted Manure that is free of antibiotics, growth hormones, GMO/GE feed, herbicide and pesticide free. This stuff is not easy to come by these days!

 

Composted Manure is the ultimate fertilizer for the natural garden. Superior to chemical fertilizers in every way. I always think of chemical fertilizers like someone on drugs....its a fast chemical fix that gives your plants a quick chemical high and causes them to be dependent. Unlike natural composted manure which allows for a slow and steady release fertilizer without a sudden let down.

Annie Haven with her Father overlooking the Fields

My new garden friend Annie Haven now carries on her families Legacy. The Haven's Ranch in Southern California is still maintained by Annie as it were since the days of her Great Grandfather in 1924. She explains further when she recently comments on some of my questions to her. "My father was my inspiration. I acquired both his love and respect of the land (soil) and livestock."  

I asked her what memories she had of her father as a child that still stand out the most to her. She answered by saying, "Walking the fields with him and his pride in seeing the harvest and calving season always so special... 

One of the things that really stands out, back in the day when we would flood irrigate the fields (water always a valued resource) you would have to block water to divert it to other parts of the field, he could truly make water flow up hill, it always amazed me (a true art). 

After we were done we would drive up on the ridge and over look the field and it always look like a work of art. Water flowing even across the land..."

A lesson I think we should all be teaching our children indeed. The love and respect towards our communities, our land, ecosystems and raising healthy livestock naturally. All these things are what have won the west and made America great. 

We should all support such farms and ranches before they are all lost and forgotten. Perhaps by giving our support we don't have to lose them to Big Agriculture. Be sure to visit Annie's Website "Authentic Haven Brand Natural Brew" You can order online directly from her website. She welcomes wholesalers as well. I hope to see some local business carrying Moo Poo Tea in my hometown.

Happy Gardening!

Pammy