Food:

Homemade Spiced Pumpkin Syrup

2 c. local apple cider (farmers market) or water

1 c. fresh pumpkin puree (fresh pumpkin puree is easy, find out how here and here)

1/2 c. local honey (if vegan use pure maple syrup)

2 cinnamon sticks

4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1/2 vanilla bean, split and insides scraped out

4 whole cloves

Celtic salt or Pink Himalayan, a healthy pinch

1 inch nob of ginger, peeled and sliced (not pictured because I forgot!)

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium low heat for 40-45 minutes until thick and bubbly and reduced by half.

2. After 45 minutes let the mixture cool for just a bit and strain through a fine mesh strainer, be sure to push the pumpkin through the strainer and then scrape it off the under side of the strainer.

3. Pour into your favorite glass container and let it cool completely before you store it in the fridge.

Love:

This time of year everyone (including me) go nuts for all things pumpkin! Pumpkin cookies, Pumpkin doughnuts, Pumpkin risotto, and the all to favorite Spiced pumpkin lattes! It seemed silly to me to buy a spiced pumpkin creamer that is full of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, so I set out to make a spiced syrup I could feel good about adding to my local fair trade coffee and homemade cashew milk lattes on the weekends. This syrup is just the right amount of sweetness from the honey and spice from the spices, using fresh pumpkin and apple cider gives it that extra depth of flavor. Plus, you feel like a total rockstar that you just made your own syrup! I think this would be great on pancakes and waffles, try it and let me know. ENJOY!