Do you have a bunch of leftover Hokkaido or other pumpkin and want to store it in a special way? Sweet and sour pickling is a good option. Try our recipe and enjoy the delicious result!
The pumpkin harvest is often so plentiful that the pumpkin has to be preserved
Recipe for sweet and sour pickling pumpkin
You need:
- 3 kg pumpkin
- 1 kg sugar*
- 500 ml white wine vinegar
- 250ml of water
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 18 cloves
- 1 vanilla bean
- 6 small pieces of ginger
- several mason jars
* We recommend that you use birch sugar instead of conventional granulated sugar. The latter has a similarly strong sweetening effect and is more beneficial to your health than regular white sugar. In addition, there are now manufacturers who offer birch sugar at affordable prices. Take a look at the discounter too!
How to pickle pumpkin sweet and sour
- Peel the pumpkins - either with a pumpkin peeler or sharp knife.
- Using a large, sharp knife, halve or quarter the squash.
- Deseed the pumpkins with a spoon or ice cream scoop (works great!).
- Temporarily place the vegetable pumpkin seeds on a piece of kitchen paper. You can roast them later and use them in rice or soup dishes.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin flesh into small cubes.
- Put the sugar, vinegar and water in a sufficiently large saucepan.
- Boil the mixture.
- Add the pumpkin cubes and all the spices (cinnamon, cloves, vanilla bean and ginger) to the stock.
- Let the mix cook until the pumpkin cubes look translucent.
- Pour into clean, sterilized mason jars while hot.
- Close the jars tightly immediately.
- Store the jars in a cool, dark place - in the refrigerator after opening.
tips
The sweet and sour pickled pumpkin pieces keep for about six months.
Important note: The preserving jars must be sterilized - i.e. free of germs, bacteria and so on - otherwise the shelf life of the pumpkin will be reduced. It is not difficult to sterilize the jars: first wash them thoroughly with detergent and water. Then place the jars in a large pot filled with water (the water must completely cover the jars). Bring the whole thing to a boil and expose the jars to the intense heat for about five minutes. Then you can let them dry on clean kitchen towels.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
- as a free PDF file to print out yourself