Pumpkin Chips

I have not made this, but it's hard to find safe canning recipes using pumpkin, so I thought I'd post it. The USDA does not recommend canning pumpkin puree, even in a pressure canner, but currently says pressure canning of cubed pumpkin is safe. This treatment is something completely different. It's from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff, published in 2010. She says, "...they're preserved in a very heavy syrup and are cooked in the syrup until translucent and completely saturated with sugar...they're essentially candied. Don't rush the long simmer in the syrup." The recipe is verbatim, so any questions about it should be addressed to the author or her publisher. She suggests serving this preserve alongside ..."rich buttered biscuits or cakes, or as a "spoon sweet", a small but elegant treat at the end of a meal, similar to those served in the Middle East." The preparation and cooking times are my estimates.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Yields: 7 half-pint jars

Ingredients

• 4  lbs  pie pumpkin (about 4 small)
• 5  cups sugar
• 2  cinnamon sticks
• 1  piece star anise
• 6  lemons

Directions

1. Cut the pumpkins in half and scrape out the seeds and stringy mess. Use a vegetable peeler to peel them, then cut each half into 4 pieces and cut them crosswise into1/16-inch-thick slices. Layer in a wide, 6 to 8 quart preserving pan with the sugar, cinnamon and star anise.
2. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice through a sieve over the pumpkin mixture; reserve the lemon hulls. Toss to combine, then cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Use a sharp knife or spoon to scrape the membranes and flesh out of the lemon hulls, then cut the rinds into thin slices. Put in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cook for five minutes, then drain. Repeat the boiling and the draining 2 more times, then stir the lemon rinds into the pumpkin mixture.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer briskly until the pumpkin slices are evenly translucent, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5. PREPARE FOR WATER-BATH CANNING: Wash the jars and keep them hot in the canning pot, and put the flat lids in a heatproof bowl.
6. Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the hot jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel. Drain the water off the jar lids.
7. Ladle the hot pumpkin and syrup into the jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace at the top.Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so it's just finger-tight. Return the jars to the water in the canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least one inch.Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes to process. Remove jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours. After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pressed down, it hasn't sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Label the sealed jars and store.