Pumpkin Questions

[MsBinky]

Hi guys,

I was wondering, since the pumpkins shall be arriving shortly, if there is a way to preserve pumpkin?

I have never seen canned pumpkin here and I know that it is really handy. So does anyone know if it can be homemade? I've never made canned anything

Also, what are other ways in which you feed it to your bun? Any bunny recipes?

 

[HoneyPot]

You can usually find canned pumkin in the aisle that sells pie fillings and baking things (like chocolate chips etc). Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I'm SURE you'll be able to find it in the stores now if not in a couple weeks.

We usually buy a couple cans and freeze it in baggies, then I break off and give my guys frozen chunks of it - which they love.

The canning process is what makes the pumpkin good for the buns. I believe someone also said that just boiling it will do the same thing.

____________
Nadia

 

[tundrakatiebean]

I think you can just boil it down, it takes a long time but it's the same thing that's in the cans. As long as you have a good way to store it afterwards I think it would be fine. I'll research how to mush your own pumpkin...

 

[tundrakatiebean]

This way looks good as long as you skip the spices.

http://homecooking.about.com/od/vegetablerecipes/r/blv314.htm

From reading a bunch of stuff you basiclly buy a PIE pumpkin (not a jack-o-lantern one) cut it into pieces, pull out the seed and strings, bake it in a microwave or oven until mushy, scoop the pumpkin flesh away from the rind and then puree it. Seems a little time consuming, but easy enough.

*edit* This one's even better: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Puree/Detail.aspx

 

[tonyshuman]

i have used the allrecipes.com recipe for pumpkin puree before. it worked really well. i was using the puree to make pumkin pie, but i'm sure it would be fine for buns. i'm pretty sure that what that recipe gives you is equivalent to canned pumpkin puree. you could freeze it in small amounts--little plastic baggies, or put in an ice cube tray and freeze. i think i'll do that too! it's begining to be the time of year that baking pumpkins are in the stores!

 

[Ivory]

Out of curiosity, why is canned pumpkin so nifty? Other than the fact that it's easy to digest and high in calories? I've been wondering since I got here and started reading posts.

Learn something new everyday.

 

[naturestee]

Pumpkin also has a fair amount of fiber and lots of water, plus a lot of Vitamin A. It is easy to syringe feed in a pinch. I feed it to my rabbits when they are molting or not feeling well because the increased water helps keep their guts moving properly. It's really helpful for when a rabbit is having small poops or lots of furry, strung-together poops. My vet also considers it a minor laxative and excellent for cases of minor/beginning GI slowdown.

Plus, lots of bunnies love it. The only one here who doesn't is Oberon. He acts like we're trying to poison him. :disgust:

Diva bun Mocha loves it so much that she binkies for it and the skin on her butt twitches with joy when she eats it. I've heard this called "banana butt" because that's usually when people see it. None of my buns will touch banana but pumpkin is divine!

I always have at least one can of pumpkin in the cupboard just in case, just like I always have simethicone and apple flavored Pedialyte on hand.

Here's the Two Headed Bunny of Doom, Fey and Sprite both trying to lick pumpkin off of a knife at the same time:

 

[BEAUKEZRA]

All 6 of my bunnies HATE pumpkin. They won't go anwhere near it. They do love those bananas though :biggrin2:.

 

[MsBinky]

Lol thanks everyone. I will check it out.

I never knew there were cooking pumpkins and carving pumpkins. LOL. For me a pumpkin is a pumpkin and i thought I was eating a Jack-o-lantern So can someone please explain the difference to a poor lost soul like moi?

 

[tundrakatiebean]

pie/sweet pumpkins are smaller. That's the only difference I've seen listed.

 

[tonyshuman]

i just got one at the store yesterday. it was called a "pie pumpkin." they are sweeter than carving pumpkins, and also smaller. they are canteloupe-sized at biggest. they are also called "sugar pumpkins."

 

[BlueGiants]

I buy "cheese pumpkins" (they look like a cheese wheel). Cut it crosswise in half, remove the seeds, lay it on a 1' deep baking sheet, cut side down, and bake it at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Remove from the ovenand scoop out the insides. I drain off all excess fluid in a strainer lined with a linen towel. Then I divide it up into 1 cup servings for pie bakingand bunnies.

The cooked pumpkincan also be put into an ice cube tray and frozen in little cubes for those "immediate use emergencies". (After the cubes are frozen, I pop them out of the tray and put them into zip-top freezer bags and put them back in the freezer. Works great and they are very handy when some one isn't eating right. (Assuming they LIKE pumpkin!) I also have sweetened the pumpkin with a bit of apple sauce to encourage them to eat.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I don't know if this is true or why - but I've always heard that it needs to be the canned pumpkin and not fresh..... not home canned.

 

[TinysMom]

I like to mix canned pumpkin w/ a bit of banana baby food if I'm giving it to rabbits. Not sure if the pumpkin is as effective that way - but at least the rabbits will eat it without a fuss and frequently they'll try to get more too...

 

[BlueGiants]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I don't know if this is true or why - but I've always heard that it needs to be the canned pumpkin and not fresh..... not home canned.

I'd be interested to hear why... I've never had any problems with the home cooked stuff... and it seems to work just fine.

 

[Pipp]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

I don't know if this is true or why - but I've always heard that it needs to be the canned pumpkin and not fresh..... not home canned.

I don't think so. onder:

It may have beenjust because it was always coupled with the pineapple thing -- the pineapple/pumpkin surefire stasis cure --you had to use fresh and not canned pineapple but use canned pumpkin. I don't think it was anything in the composition.

I know that you're not supposed to feed them squash unless it's canned, or at least cooked well, because it can deplete nutrients or something. But I've never heard that about pumpkin.

sas :?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Knowing it's something about bunnies, and something you don't always hear from vets......... it wouldn't suprise me if that was a miscommunicated thing. I have heard to use the fresh pineapple....... which of course my rabbits think is evil ...... :?

 

[Ivory]

I don't know why the freshness of pineapple would really matter....whether or not it's canned, the bromelain is still in it.

 

[HoneyPot]

Ivory wrote:

I don't know why the freshness of pineapple would really matter....whether or not it's canned, the bromelain is still in it.

From what I've read, Bromelain is destroyed at heats over 80 °C, so the process of canning the pineapple actually denatures the enzymes and they are no longer active.

___________
Nadia

 

[tonyshuman]

so i cooked the pumpkin, peeled, blended, and everything, but tony hates it. he will sniff at it, but won't eat it! he thumped when i tried to give it to him! i guess i'll be making pumpkin pie instead...