Daily Improvisations

  • Inside the Homestead
    • Sewing
    • crochet and knit
    • Playing House
    • In the Workshop
    • Cooking and Food
    • Helpless Female
  • Out in the Garden
    • In My Greenhouse
    • Gardening in Southwest Idaho
    • Straw Bale Garden Project
  • Out with Animals
    • Chickens
    • Goats
    • Horses
  • Around the Globe
    • Adventures with Wild Greg
    • Chocolate Shops Around the World
    • Life in Taipei
    • About Town
      • My Blogs
  • The DI Store
    • Custom designs
    • My Books
  • DI Memberships
    • Log In
    • Sign up to be a DI Sewing Room Insider
    • Dream House Members Area
      • Dream House Eyewitness Login
      • Your Account
      • Dream House Project
    • Become a Dream House Eyewitness!

Delicately Pumpkin Green Bean Clam Chowder

January 29, 2014 by Laura Blodgett Leave a Comment

It is unlikely that anyone tasting this clam chowder without knowing there is pumpkin in it would be able to “name that secret ingredient.”  The color might not even give it away, because it only turns out to be a light peach color, reminiscent of a potato cheese soup. But without the pumpkin it just wouldn’t be the same. (click on any photo to enlarge)

Delicately pumpkin green bean clam chowder ready to eat!
Delicately pumpkin green bean clam chowder ready to eat!

The plain fact is that my original recipe, that I concocted and have been using for years, calls for carrots. I didn’t have any on this night, but I wanted make the clam chowder a more balanced main meal soup, with something more than just clams and potatoes. Happily, I remembered some pumpkin puree I had stuck in the freezer a couple of months ago. Add the dehydrated green beans to the mix, and it had good color and high nutritional value!

Here’s my ingredient list for a pot of soup that served 6-8 adults hearty amounts:

The large 51 ounce can of clams from Costco...
The large 51 ounce can of clams from Costco…

½ of a 51 ounce can of clams (because this is the size can I have been used to buying from Costco all these years for my previously large family) Half of it measures out to 2 cups, leaving another 2 cups for another batch.

½ of the juice from the can, which conveniently also measures out to very, very close to 2 cups. I put the extra from each of these in containers in the freezer. I have successfully frozen leftover tuna for years, so am hoping that clams freeze well, too. Scallops do.

9 medium potatoes, diced to about 1 inch cubes. I estimate this came to 8 cups or so.

1 ¾ cup pumpkin puree. Why 1¾ cup, you ask? Because that is the portion I froze it in to make my favorite pumpkin cookies. Turned out perfect for the chowder!

1 teaspoon of sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (confession: I did not absolutely measure these 4 seasonings.)

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Dehydrated green beans are one of the easiest vegetables to rehydrate for cooking.
Dehydrated green beans are one of the easiest vegetables to rehydrate for cooking.

½ teaspoon dried basil leaves

¾ teaspoon celery seeds

1 ½ cups diced onion a couple Tablespoons olive oil (butter is also a good option)

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup dehydrated green beans

2 ½ cups water

Saute’ the onion in the oil until tender.

Add water, seasonings, clam JUICE, potatoes, and beans (there will be enough liquid in the soup to re-hydrate the beans).

Cook at a simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Stir in pumpkin puree. I defrosted mine partially in the microwave while the potatoes were cooking. I have dumped completely frozen vegetables, such as corn or a block of grated zucchini straight into soups before. It just takes longer to heat and mix in.

Pour in the milk, cream (a higher ratio of cream to milk could be used, if desired), and CLAMS. Continue to stir regularly and heat on low to medium heat, to avoid scorching. Printable recipe for delicately pumpkin green bean clam chowder right here.

Next time, I will probably try to add some of that grated zucchini I mentioned, which I freeze for the purpose of adding to my soups and stews all winter long.

The delicately pumpkin green bean clam chowder was a hit with everyone. The pumpkin gave it a subtle sweet savory flavor. The green beans came back to life so that they seemed never to have been dehydrated. The vacuum sealing keeps them fresh and can be easily re-done if I don’t use the whole jar.

The soup had one other preserved garden ingredient in it. The onion was from my garden and was frozen diced, which made preparation even easier. I have some dehydrated onions, too, which I have been using, like in this tomato soup, but I wanted to try the frozen ones this time. Since I have been trying some different methods of food storage this year, it has been a bit of a challenge to modify my recipes to accommodate this, but the results of this soup have encouraged me. Maybe I’ll get my potatoes dug yet, and use them next time I make it. Rich, you are going to want to try this!

Filed Under: Cooking and Food, Gardening in Southwest Idaho, Inside the Homestead Tagged With: dehydrating, recipes, southwest Idaho gardening

If you want to read a heartwarming story about how a mother deals with a daughter's death, read this book.

If you have ever wanted to cook pizza in a brick oven in your own backyard, this book is for you!

Basic Facts Guides to Gardening in Southwest Idaho

a list of blog articles covering the basics to help you with your garden in southwest Idaho

My Other Blogs

  • Fun Fitness After 50
  • Fun Learning Chinese
  • LauraBlodgett.com
  • The Happy Homeschool

Blogroll

  • Anemone Flynn
  • Fine Gardening
  • Gourmet In The Field
  • Sew 4 Home

About me

 

 

Daily Improvisations is a project by Laura Blodgett

If you want to know more about what I’m up to and where to read about it, here is a summary!

Making sure you know that:

Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, including affiliate links to amazon.com. See disclosures here.

Contact Me

Contact Me
First

All pictures and content including the name and logo “Daily Improvisations” are Copyright (c) 2019 by Laura Blodgett, unless otherwise noted. Please contact the author with any questions or comments.

Tags

animals Backyard Oven backyard weeds book reviews Chef Betharoni chickens Cori Lou Costa Rica crochet and knit decorating even I can do dehydrating fabric stores around the world flowers flowers from seed Gardens Around the Globe helpless female homestead injuries insects interview Maui music organizing poems PVC Pipe Projects questioning the establishment recipes restaurant reviews sew sewing southwest Idaho gardening sprinklers stock market diaries Taipei Taiwan technology know-how The Best Little Chocolate Shops tools and equipment underground house unimpeded parenting Wild Greg Adventure

Copyright © 2023 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in