My sweet friend Annie shared this recipe with me. I made it this week with the “damaged” pie pumpkins that were not good enough for the shares at the farm. It is oh-so-good, and perfect for the fall. Rick and Henry are hooked. I have a feeling I’ll be making more of this!
Honey-Pumpkin Butter
Makes 1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups
2 cups pureed, cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix all ingredients in saucepan and simmer over low heat 35-40 minutes, until thick (like stiff apple butter). Stir frequently, or it will burn.
Or, put all ingredients in a big pot in a 300 degree oven, where you have to stir much less frequently (just skim off the top if it carmelizes)– takes longer, but requires less watching. Plus, your oven is already hot from cooking your pumpkins into puree.
Now put it in hot, sterilized jars and process for 15 minutes in boiling water bath. (Or you can invert if you prefer, but this I put in the BW bath.)
Edited to add that although I’ve never had problems with this recipe, I’ve discovered that canning pumpkin butter for long term storage is not recommended in either a boiling water bath or pressure cannner. I love this recipe and have shared the results with friends and family, but please use at your own risk as I’m not a food scientist! Also if you’d prefer not to can it, it’s good enough to eat right away and store in the fridge! Yum! 😉
The Lazy Homesteader 
Looks wonderful! You know I’ve had pumpkin seeds but never pumpkin…how weird is that?
I make jams, jellies, butters for our store, Star Farmers Market, in central TX. Is the water bath safe for the pumpkin butter or does it really need pressure canned? Any info is really helpful as this recipe sounds wonderful!
Sharon – I’ve never read anything about it, only followed this recipe that a friend gave me. Our pumpkin butter turned out fine, but I can see where there would be a concern since it’s low in salt, sugar and acid. If you have any doubt with any canned food, you should throw it out, or use the pressure canner instead. Botulism is too scary!