By Erin Frank

With pumpkin season in full swing, I wanted to share a delicious recipe for DIY pumpkin butter. This recipe by Virginia Jane’s Flavorful Edibles is very easy to prepare in large batches, and pumpkin butter makes the perfect homemade favor for a Fall-themed wedding. If you’ve never had pumpkin butter, it’s a tasty treat that’s great with oatmeal, on toast, with either peanut butter or jam, and more. Enjoy!

 

Combine pumpkin, sugar, apple cider and spices in a large pot, heavy-bottomed if possible. Turn heat to medium and stir until sugar dissolves and spices blend. Increase heat and cook until mixture comes to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 30 minutes continuing to stir until thickened. Transfer to clean containers and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

You can safely double or triple this recipe without damaging the flavor. For a bargain on jars in bulk, Fillmore Container has terrific prices on all different sizes of jars. The Container Store also has an excellent selection of hermetic jars. Finish this simple gift with some cloth around the top and a rubber band, closed in by ribbon. Ribbon and cloth won’t be affected by refrigeration. The whole ensemble can be ready to go on the big day!

You may want to make a simple tag with ingredients and suggestions for how your guests can enjoy it, be sure to include an expiration date. It’s very important that the finished butter be refrigerated; it cannot be kept on a pantry shelf. Even if you are familiar with home canning, still follow this guideline; the acidity level of pumpkin is too low for safe home preservation. The pumpkin butter will stay safe to eat for 6 months in refrigeration from the day it was made.