Pumpkin Spice Martini Jam

This offering from Jeni Gough appeared on August's JAMboree collaboration on YouTube.  (Video embedded in the blog post.)  I didn't realize you could water-bath can anything pumpkin, but the sugar, alcohol, and lemon juice in this turn the veggie into a kind of very sweet pickle.  Also, you aren't puréeing it into something dense, just mashing the cooked gourd pieces like you would strawberries or blueberries.  This isn't like the solid-pack pumpkin you buy in the pie aisle, and would make a terrible pie filling.  Might be good in a thumbprint cookie, breakfast pastry, or as cake filling.

There are two ways to achieve gel set with this jam.  You can cook it to 220ºF or use pectin.  Those options will produce different yields, as cooking to temperature tends to cook off a lot of water and all the alcohol.  Neither method is wrong.  It just depends if you want more water-based gel with the pectin or a thicker, gooier product with the candy method.  Pectin is also faster, but I tend to favor the temperature method unless something is very watery.

The big change I made from her recipe was using vermouth in place of Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.  It is supposed to be a martini, after all.  I'd never bought vermouth before, and it took a while to find it because I'm not overly familiar with the liquor aisle.  My instinct was that it would be wedged between the vodka and gin, and I wasn't disappointed.  I bought sweet vermouth instead of dry because it was for jam, and also because I prefer sweet liqueurs.

So here's an option if you bought a couple of pie pumpkins for Halloween decorations and want something fun to do with them.  You can also sub any sweet, hard-skinned squash like butternut, acorn, or even spaghetti.

*2-1/2 lbs pie pumpkin, peeled and 1" cubed (about 3-1/2 lbs whole)
4-1/2 C sugar
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp kosher salt
*1/2 C lemon juice
*1/2 tsp grated orange zest (optional)
*1/4 C vodka (vanilla or whipped cream flavors if you have it)
1/4 C vermouth or Grand Marnier
1 Tb vanilla

1.  If canning, prepare for a 5 to 7 half-pint yield.  In Jeni's video, this made 5-1/2 jars.  I got 7-1/2.  It all has to do with how much you boil it down.

2.  Peel, seed, and dice pumpkin.  This took me nearly an hour, and was by far the hardest part of the whole project.  Tried almost every cutting utensil in the drawer.  Managed to do it without bleeding.  I've never tried to peel a raw pumpkin before.  I've done butternut, which is a huge pain in the butt and I now spend extra to get it already done.  At least it kills the time while the canner is coming up to temp.  The end product was almost exactly 2-1/2 pounds and I didn't have to do any canning math, whew.

3.  Place diced pumpkin in a large pot and fill with water to cover.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until fork-tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally to check for doneness.  Drain well.

4.  Return pumpkin pieces to the pot.  Coarsely mash with a potato masher.  Do not purée if you plan to process can.  You can even leave half of the chunks more or less intact for texture.

5.  Add sugar, spices, lemon juice, and both alcohols to the pot.  Stir to combine.  Return to a boil over medium-high heat and cook to 220º, stirring frequently, or when mixture thickens when dropped from a spoon.  Add orange zest, if using, in the last 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

6.  For canning, fill to 1/4" headspace.  Debubble jars, as you would a chutney.  Center lids, screw on bands finger-tight, and place in the water bath with water to cover by at least 1".  Once canner returns to a boil, process for 15 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove lid, and let jars sit 5 minutes before removing.

7.  Allow jars to cool 12 hours.  Remove bands, test seals, wash jars, and store.  Or refrigerate and use within 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes 2-3 pints

Difficulty rating  :-0 (Just for preparing the pumpkin.  Rest is π.)