Looks delicious! I've never seen Black Beauty squash before. THAT really looks good!! I keep saying that one of these days, I'm going to grow some veggies. The more I see what you people on this forum do, the more I'm getting interested..... Thanks for sharing! Marcia

Ken's right. Some European cookie presses (don't know about Mirro) include a fat long tube attachment for inserting cream and jellied fillings. OK, I promised some plum recipes. I used Italian Prune-Plums for these recipes. We have gobs of them available locally and they're meaty and sweet. I would guess these recipes would be more tart with some other varieties. I have loads of old recipes using plums, so if these don't fit the bill, let me know. The first is the only one I haven't made, so I can't personally vouch for it, but the combination sounds intriguing. Plum and Peach Conserve (from the Farm Journal Canning and Freezing Cookbook) 3 cups ground sweet plums (Italian prunes) 3 cups mashed peaches 6 cups sugar 2 medium oranges Combine plums, peaches and sugar in large saucepan. Add grated peel from 1 orange, juice from 2 oranges. Cook, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes or to desired consistency. Ladle into sterilized hot jars to within 1/8" of top. Wipe rims; adjust lids. Process BWB 5 minutes. Makes 4 pints. Plum Conserve (an old Kerr recipe) My oldest Kerr book provides the first version; a newer Kerr book the second minor variation: Plum Conserve (very, very rich) 4 pounds plums (8 cups cut up) 2 lemons (juice and grated rind) 6 cups sugar 1 pound seedless raisins 6 cups sugar 1 cup walnuts Wash plums, remove seeds, weigh fruit. Combine all ingredients except nut meats. Cook until thick. Blanch nut meats 2 minutes, drain, cut or chop. Add to mixture just before removing from heat. Pour into sterilized KERR jars and seal while hot. (BWB 10 minutes.) Plum Conserve #2 4 pounds plums (8 cups cut up) 4 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 1 cup seedless raisins 6 cups sugar 1 cup walnuts Same directions. Plum Conserve #3 (from So Easy to Preserve) 2 1/2 quarts chopped, pitted plums 3/4 cup thinly sliced orange peel 2 cups seedless raisins 1 1/2 cups chopped orange pulp (about 2 large) 6 cups sugar 2 cups broken pecan or other nuts Sterilize canning jars. Combine plums, orange pulp and peel, raisins and sugar; slowly bring to boiling, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly almost to jellying point, about 15 to 20 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Add nuts the last 5 minutes of cooking. Pour hot conserve into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rims; adjust lids. Process 5 minutes BWB. This prune cake was posted by Lisbet at the Recipe Exchange; AnnT made the recipe but toasted the walnuts. Prune Sour Cream Cake Serving Size : 12 1 1/2 cups Sunsweet Prunes (use already pitted, soft prunes) 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 2 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup soft butter 1 cup granulated sugar -- * I use 3/4 cup 2 large eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup chopped English walnuts Pour boiling water over prunes. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain, pit, and dice prunes. Add lemon and set aside. Grease and flour 9" tube pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt; remove 1/4 cup and toss with prunes. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Slowly beat in flour mixture, alternnately with sour cream and vanilla, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in prunes. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Turn 1/3 batter into pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 brown sugar mixture, repeat layering twice. Bake at 350 F. 55 minutes or until done. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Description: "Coffee Cake Type. Tried and True! Very, very good!!" Source: "from the back of Sunsweet Prune box" I've had this recipe about forever. Don't remember the source. My notes say it's a "simple homely dessert or snack - almost a coffee cake." 1 1/2 cups chopped purple plums 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. grated orange peel 2 cups flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 cup buttermilk Nut Topping: 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup chopped nuts 1 tsp. cinnamon Pit and chop plums to measure 1 1/2 cups. Set aside. Blend sugars, egg and orange peel. Sift dry ingredients. Add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, stirring well after each addition. Stir in plums. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake 350 35 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream. Now that I've remembered this one, I'm making it tonight. And finally, this recipe, including my notes from the first time I baked it. Purple Plum Pie Recipe By : Farm Journal's Best-Ever Pies Categories : Desserts  Pies and Pastries Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 cups sliced, pitted purple plums (1 1/2 pounds) 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 unbaked pie shell (9-inch) 1 tablespoon lemon juice Spicy Topping 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 cup butter or margarine Combine plums, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in bowl; mix well. Arrange plum mixture in unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Prepare Spicy Topping and sprinkle over plum mixture. Place pie in brown paper bag. Fold over open end twice to close and fasten with paper clips. Carefully place on baking sheet. Bake in 425° oven 45 minutes or until plums are tender. Cool on rack. Makes 6 to 8 servings. NOTES : I didn't bake this in a paper bag. (Images of my oven on fire!) I baked at 400 15 minutes and then 350 approximately 45 minutes (hour total). This is an incredible recipe, perfect proportion of spices. The only complaint is 2 tablespoons of cornstarch was insufficient for the juicy plums. I would use more thickening, probably a mixture of flour and tapioca. This pie is very "drippy." Next time I'll use a baking sheet. Carol

I'd use 3T for 4-4.5C of fruit, see my Oct 7 post. We're getting close to 150 so I'm just editing this rather than posting again. Hope you read this Dennis Try 3T if you think 4 is too much - I generally use 3T for 4C of fruit, I would think classic pectin would be the same though I use the N-S. Yes, it will clump if you add it to liquid, mix a little (I think I recommended 1/4C of sugar) with the 3T pectin before adding it to the pot, bring to a boil per pacakge(canister) directions then dump the rest of the sugar in all at once. Boil for 2-3 minutes (though the directions say 1). Mike's been lucky, if he leaves the jars on the shelf for months he may find taffy. Something like fruit juice you might be able to get away with long boiling and get a good set, esp. bottled juice that has a lot of water in it, if you didn't boil it away before adding pectin/sugar. But when making a jam, you not only risk ending up with a harder set than you planned on, but also you lose the fresh fruit flavor with long boiling. Maybe you need to let juicy things like tomatoes cook longer (or drain them), but I'd do it before adding the pectin if possible, and I've never tried fresh pineapple but from Jason's and Linda Z's experience it sounds like that needs longer cooking too, but again I'd do it before the pectin and sugar are added since there is a "sweet spot" - too long and you end up with caramelized taffy, even longer and oddly enough you won't get a set b/c *overcooking* the pectin will cause the bonds that are formed earlier to break, which is why it's hard to re-make a jam that's set too stiff. It's better to just stir in water or fruit juice when you open the jar, or melt it and use it as a glaze or something. Maybe I should have asked Mike if his strawberry jam was runny? I've never cooked a jam that long after adding pectin, though I have cooked jams using just fruit and sugar too long and ended up with something you couldn't even scrape off the spoon with your teeth LOL (I believe that was blackberry). My cousin didn't realize how high in pectin gooseberries are added pectin to them and ended up with "gooseberry glue" as she called it! sharonie - Chop the apricots really fine, and let them sit in the vinegar longer. Though you may have overcooked your Gold a bit too, it's hard to tell. Maybe Annie will jump in, she's got more experience than I do, esp. with making that. But last year I overcooked my Gold a little bit b/c I as trying to get it to set before the fair, it darkened (and I only got a red ribbon) so if your jelly part looked nice and light golden, I'd say it was just the apricots weren't fully hydrated. HTH This post was edited by ajsmama on Tue, Oct 21, 14 at 7:54

Well I changed my mind. I am doing it the way Becky posted. I rubbed it with olive oil and put on Montreal Steak Seasoning, browned it on all sides, added 2 cups of beef broth, an onion, some fresh garlic and stuck it in the oven at 325 - set tht timer for 2 1/2 hrs, then added carrots. It has one more hour to go. Making mashed potatoes and peas to go along with it. It smells heavenly in here.