Pumpkins

I have a question about my pumpkins. I grew a variety that the seed packet said could get up to 65 pounds. Mine turned out more like one of those little pie pumpkins you see at the grocery. I left them on the vine as long as I could. They were bright orange and the skin was hard and they were no longer growing. I was noticing some white flies on them and the stems were getting mushy so I harvested them. I cured them for ten days and then cut into a couple. The flesh was very hard, and although bright orange, they tasted green and the seeds wouldn’t come away from the wall of the pumpkin. What do you think I did wrong? At least my chickens will be getting pumpkin!

Cindy Baugh
Dandridge, Tennessee

Did you get the drought that most of the country did this year? If so, the pumpkins were probably heat/drought-stressed and didn’t produce well this year. It sounds like they quit and turned orange prior to rotting. A few of mine did that too that were away from our regular irrigating system. The hard flesh plus the immature seeds sure indicates you had the same problem. Better luck next year. Luckily, we homesteaders say that frequently about some crop or another that fails for some reason. That’s why I try to keep two years’ food canned up and stored at all times; we never know how our garden…or life is going to be in the future. — Jackie

Canning chili and spaghetti sauce

I canned chili/spaghetti sauce, but I didn’t pressure can it. I brought it up to a full rolling boil and let it boil hard for about 5 minutes. Do you think I need to open the jars and pressure can it? All the jars sealed.

Joanne
Sioux City, Iowa

Assuming your chili sauce did not contain meat, it still should have been processed in a water bath canner for 35 minutes (pints) or 40 minutes (quarts) or pressure canned at 10 pounds for 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts). I hope you recently did this, as those jars are not safe, stored that way, as they were not correctly processed. Carefully check the contents of each jar when you open them, and YES, if they appear okay, dump the jars into a kettle, bring it up to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Then pack into your jars, use a new lid and process them correctly. Always read the directions in a current canning book before canning any recipe. I do, and I wrote a book on the subject! — Jackie