Need Pumpkin Seeds?

Hi everyone! The last two years I've been very successfully growing an heirloom pumpkin called Small Sugar. It is a small pie pumpkin which is an excellent grower, at least in my yard! Last year we got about 70 pumpkins from just a few vines! Just last week I cooked and froze the last of my pumpkins, so they lasted quite a few months in storage in my basement. Small Sugar makes excellent pie, muffins, or bread. It has lots of seeds which are great for eating and saving, which brings me to the point of my post. Since this is an heirloom seed, you can plant the seeds and get the same thing you started out with. And, since we had so many pumpkins, I have lots of saved seed. Which means I have some to share!!


Would you like a few Small Sugar Pumpkin seeds? (See a description here.) If so, please send me an email at illinoisprepper(at)yahoo.com with your name and address. I will try to fulfill as many requests as I can, but if I run out of seed I will let you know. I will send 12 seeds in an envelope. Obviously, there is no guarantee that the seeds will grow, but they should. These are the same seeds that I will be using in my garden, and they have been saved and stored properly. (And they're free for you, so if they don't grow you're not out anything, right?) Since I don't want to be sending seeds 10 years from now if someone happens to find this post then, I will place a cut-off date of March 25, 2011. Please email your requests by then. Thanks!

Prep On!
Gen-IL Homesteader


------------------------------------------
Join the APN Forum at www.AmericanPreppersNetwork.net
Visit the Illinois Forum at www.IllinoisPreppersNetwork.net

A Link and Eat Your Fall Decorations

Hi everyone! I wanted to pass on to you this link that I got off of the Indiana Preppers site. It's a doozey! As Ernie, of Indiana preppers said, if this doesn't get your attention, then I don't know what will! It's a powerful article about the crisis that has already begun and will probably get much worse. (Do you check the IN Preppers site? Ernie does a great job finding the 'black-listed' news, the real nitty-gritty stuff that you don't hear anywhere else. Reading that blog is like having a constant wake-up call. I love it! If you head over there and like what you read, then let Ernie know!)

Also today, I wanted to encourage you to 'eat your fall decorations'! That's right! I hope you didn't carve your pumpkin yet. You did? Well, go buy yourself another one or two. That pumpkin will yield a great amount of yummy food! Many folks will say you should only eat pie pumpkins, not regular jack-o-lantern pumpkins. I totally disagree! For years and years, I've cooked and eaten our jack-o-lantern pumpkins and they've always been perfectly delicious! Split your pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds (save for roasting) and strings. Lay the halves face up or face down (your choice) in a pan and roast at 325 or so for a while. (I know. How long is a while?) Well, it depends on the size of your pumpkin. Check it after an hour; poke it with a fork to see if the thickest parts are nice and soft. Once they are, remove from the oven and let it cool. Scoop out the pumpkin meat and blend it in your blender or it will be stringy. Freeze in appropriate size containers for pumpkin pie, muffins, bread, or any other recipes that require pumpkin. It's that easy! (I hope that every time you see a pumpkin smashed or in the garbage after Halloween, you'll think 'That's food!')

Now you can roast the pumpkin seed. Soak them in salt water for a while and remove all the 'strings'. Lay them flat on a jelly roll pan and cook at 275 degrees or so till cooked. (Check after 30-45 minutes to avoid burning.) You can also sprinkle salt on them. Waa-laa! Enjoy!

Prep On!
Gen-IL Homesteader

------------------------------------------
Join the APN Forum at http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/
Visit the Illinois Forum at http://www.illinoispreppersnetwork.net/