Quality latex, cheap latex, latex gloves and other things "latex" will break down chemically using mineral oil (because it's a petroleum product). In the "birds and the bees" area, you can make your life and someone else's very miserable not knowing that. :) And it would be a waste to spend so much time and money making even a homemade mold to have it fail early. Yep, I think professional outside advice would be the route to go here.

This thread is hilarious and informative at the same time! Thank you all for the laughs and the knowledge! My experience with fish emulsion goes like this. I’ve been growing bonsai for many years and have more than I want to talk about. Some are pretty old and my treasures. When we moved from the big city to the country, we of course brought every single plant and bonsai! We had four box trucks jammed full of plants and one for the house stuff. I carefully arranged each bonsai on their little stands so they’d all look just right even if we were the only ones that could see them. I started the repotting process soon thereafter and of course...used fish emulsion to give them all a boost. The next day, I go back to check on my “babies” and stood there in shock! Thinking the worst about some human vandalism or theft, I notice that each plant had been uprooted and holes had been dug in every pot. Little hand like prints and tracks are all over the place, I follow the trail of destruction to a boggy area near a creek. There lie the remains of several larger bonsai, the fish emulsion bottle and even the bucket! A few choice words later and some tears too, I gathered the survivors and repotted them. Most survived with some very interesting new shapes but I certainly learned my lesson. Fish emulsion is great stuff but never use it if you even suspect that you have raccoons.

This was the thread that helped me put a name to the style of garden that I love best. I have been working towards the cottage style for many years and never get tired of the evolution of it. Loved reading them all again today. Cheryl

Those strudels do look wonderful. I think pumpkin butter could be used anywhere a spiced pumpkin mixture is called for, so that would include muffins, quick breads, pies, bar cookies, etc. In that way it's almost a homemade "fast food". For example, this recipe would be easy to adapt: Walnut Bread and Pumpkin Butter Ingredients: 1 cup unbleached flour 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cups milk 1/4 cup walnut oil 1 large egg 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup chopped walnuts Pumpkin butter For Pumpkin Butter: 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Walnut Bread: Combine flours, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, oil, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla; stir with a wire whisk until blended. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Stir in walnuts. Spoon batter into a lightly greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack. Serve with pumpkin butter. Pumpkin Butter: Beat butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. Let butter stand at room temperature to soften before serving. I serve this in a hollowed out mini-pumpkin. Makes: 1-1/4 cups. (www.virtualcities.com) Or this one: Pecan Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins Source: Cooking.com 18 Muffins RECIPE INGREDIENTS 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 egg 2 egg whites 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cup Pecan Pumpkin Butter 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 teaspoons fresh orange juice 3/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup brown sugar RECIPE METHOD Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease muffin pans or line with paper inserts. In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until light and smooth. Add egg and egg whites and beat to combine. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt then slowly add to the butter-egg mixture in batches. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, then add the Pecan Pumpkin Butter, vanilla extract, orange juice and dried cranberries and mix to combine. Fill muffin molds 3/4 full. Bake about 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan and cool on wire rack. One easy way to find recipes or ideas is to go to the web sites of companies that make and sell pumpkin butters. They usually have a number of ideas for use of their product. For example Stonewall Kitchen: Pecan Pumpkin Bars Serves: 12-16 Ingredients 2 cups flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 Tsp. baking powder 1 Tsp. salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 1/2 Tsp. vanilla 2 sticks melted butter (1 cup) 2 cups pecans 1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter Directions Grease a 9"x13" baking pan with shortening. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Excluding the Maple Pumpkin Butter, mix all the above ingredients well. Batter will be firm. Spread in prepared pan. Pour Maple Pumpkin Butter over batter. Bake until bubbles have risen to the top and bars feel firm to the touch - 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Cool overnight or refrigerate before cutting. Recipe Tips Serve with whipped cream. In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until light and smooth. Add egg and egg whites and beat to combine. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt then slowly add to the butter-egg mixture in batches. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, then add the Pecan Pumpkin Butter, vanilla extract, orange juice and dried cranberries and mix to combine. Fill muffin molds 3/4 full. Bake about 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan and cool on wire rack.