A few weeks ago Jim Casada shared a recipe for Candy Roaster Butter. Jim also reminisced about the Candy Roasters his Grandpa Joe grew when he was a boy.
After reading Jim’s guestpost, Patricia, a Blind Pig reader, graciously sent Jim and me some Candy Roasters she grew this summer. I immediately knew what to do with mine-see if Jim’s candy roaster butter was as good as he claimed it was. I used the recipe Jim shared but tweaked it slightly here and there.
First I cut the candy roaster in half and used a spoon to scoop out the seeds. I baked the pieces in a 400 degree oven until they were soft-then I scooped out the pulp-discarding the outer skin of the candy roaster.
Candy Roaster Butter
- 1 gallon candy roaster pulp, cooked and mashed
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cloves
- 1 tablespoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 box pectin
Mix all the ingredients-except the pectin-together in a large pot. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for one minute. Since the candy roaster pulp is thick-it’s hard to gauge a true boil. It’s thickness also means you can’t walk very far away from the stove without letting it scorch. I made sure mine was mixed well and was popping and hissing pretty good before I continued with the recipe.
Next add pectin to mixture and stir for one minute. Place hot candy roaster butter into hot sterilized jars and seal. Canning experts advise keeping butters in the frig until consumed. The jars will last up to three weeks in the frig-if they last that long at your house 🙂
Was it as good as Jim said it was? It was better! I’ve smeared it on bread and I’ve used it as a filling for Granny’s Un-fried pies.
Tipper
never heard of this before is it good
After sealing the jars, do they need to go in a water bath or pressure cooker?
Charlene-canning experts advise to store butter type preserves in the frig where they’ll keep for 3 weeks. If the recipe is too large for your needs you can half it.
can you pressure can this to be shelf stable?
I would also like to know if one could hot water bath or pressure seal! I received one squash last year which I saved the seeds. I currently have 4 large Candy Roasters that I want to preserve.
Sherrie-I’ve read varying accounts of whether you should process pumpkin. Hopefully someone who has experience will chime in with some information 🙂
Miriam-a candy roaster is a type of squash. You can go here to read more about them:https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/blind_pig_the_acorn/2014/10/a-craving-for-candy-roasters.html
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
B-you didn’t miss the recipe-it’s coming up soon : ) I think a mixture of peppers would be great!
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving
the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Tipper,
I’ve never tried Candy Roaster
Butter, but all them ingredients
in it should make it good. We grew
lots of things when I was a kid,
but time and growing up has caused
a lot of loss of these items.
But I did VOTE today!!! …Ken
Tipper,
Did I miss the Roasted Red Pepper Soup recipe? I have many peppers and wonder if I could roast green Marconi’s in the place of red!
Thanks for a great post!
PS…My peppers wanted to keep growing and not turn red and ripen. I have a handful of red and yellow/orange bell peppers, and less of Yum yums so I may have to mix them all to make the soup! Don’t guess it would make much difference, what do you think?
Tipper,
I have one of those sitting here, just wanting me to do something with it. Mine looks just like the one you have pictured.
I just wonder what one could do If you don’t have quite enough pulp to make a gallon. Since, I don’t have another squash! I know how to jiggle the recipe, etc. for jellies but not sure what to do for a slant miss of squash! One might could add a bit of cooked butternut to bring the measure up to a gallon, reckon?
Well, I may have to wait until next year to try this Candy Roaster Butter, in the meantime if I am ever your way, I’ll take a biscuit with roaster butter on it to go!
Thanks Tipper,
and Jim
What is a candy roaster? The recipe sounds delish.
The candy roaster curiosity really got to me. I managed to order some seeds for next year. I am hoping that they will grow after I figure out a place to put them. I might have to call in a favor, but next year I will have some to try. They are not in any of the local stores, but I still search for them. I enjoyed growing heirloom tomatoes a few years back. I would like to win the book, but maybe someone could win one of your precious candy roaster butters. Yummy!
Give them plenty of room to grow. They produce large vines. I have a 57 pounder that my wife and I will turn into butter next week.
I’ve never heard of Candy Roasters and I thought my mom raised everything that had seeds. It looks like a “squash” I saw at the grocery store.
I used your recipe to make a couple of cushaw pies last week. They were better than any pumpkin pie I’ve ever tasted. Thanks for sharing!
Krystee-one gallon of cooked candy roaster. In other words it might take 2 candy roaster depending on their size.
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Seems like one of those Granny Pies with Candy Roaster Butter would go good with reading a book such as the one mentioned in your give -away – .
I backtracked and posted a comment with The Golden Arm but decided to post another comment here just to make sure I was included in the drawing.
I’ve got a lot of catching up to do with your blog – someday – by the way – no music anymore? or do I need to check out my computer?
when you say a “gallon candy roaster”, is that a roaster the size of a gallon jug or a gallon full of mashed and cooked pulp>
Tipper–The entire candy roaster saga is a fine example of the wonderful sort of folks who form part of the extended Blind Pig reader family. Thanks to the guest blog I received candy roasters, seed from three sources, suggestions on sources of seed from two others, and an e-mail from a purveyor of heirloom seeds who not only had those for candy roasters, he has possibly put me on the track of a type of bunch bean my father grew for many years (White Princess) and which I’ve been unable to find.
As for the candy roasters I received, they are going to be used in pies for Thanksgiving. We’ve had pumpkin pie from a recipe of my mother’s virtually all my years, with my wife continuing the tradition and my granddaughter and son-in-law feeling they’ve been deprived on Thanksgiving if they don’t have pumpkin pie. We’ll see what they think about candy roaster pie. I suspect it will be a big hit.
What all of this really shows is that Tipper and her Blind Pig blog offer all of us a bountiful blessing.
Jim Casada
http://www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
P. S. I’m also hoping that this interest in heirloom seeds will lead to the creation of some kind of “loaning” program in the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City, NC. My mother was librarian there for a decade and the library was founded by our next-door neighbor. There’s already a program of this kind over in Waynesville, NC.