Cans of pumpkin are hard to find any other time of year except right now. So, buying a pumpkin and making your own puree is great if you want pumpkin goodies other times of year.
My cute little pumpkin. It was a pretty reasonable price at Walmart. Next week I'm going to an orchard and vegetable farm and I'm going to get another one...or two :)
Cut the top off the pumpkin.
Cut the pumpkin in half.
Scoop out the inside of the pumpkin. I used a melon baller. It worked perfect.
Scoop all the seeds and such into a bowl. Do NOT throw them away. Stay tuned for what you can do with them.
Cut the pumpkin into about 8 pieces.
Arrange the pieces a cookie sheet then put them in a 350 degrees oven for 45 minutes.
After the 45 minutes the pieces will look like this, but perfect for peeling off the skins.
If the peel doesn't come off easily then you can cut it off.
Yes, this is like the smallest food processor ever. Anyway, cut the pumpkin into cubes after you peel off the skin then put it in the food processor and puree.
As I puree it, I add a little water with the pieces I process.
It's ready!
Grab 2 one gallon freezer bags.
Split the puree between the two freezer bags.
Flatten the bag of puree and make sure you get all the air out. Then seal it and be sure to label it, so everyone knows what this weird orange stuff in your freezer is.
We seem to have this nifty little shelf next to our ice maker that is perfect for the bags of puree.
So, now you have your puree for March or April when all the pumpkins are gone and the cans of pumpkin puree are not on the shelf. I expect you to puree some pumpkin and impress me with your goodies :)
Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients:
1 small pumpkin
water, as needed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off the pumpkin. Then cut in half. Use a spoon, ice scoop, or melon baller to scrape out all the seeds and the goopy membrane. Place the seeds in a bowl. Cut the halves into quarters (8 pieces total). Place the pieces on a cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.
Place the cooked pumpkin on a cutting board and peel the rind from the pieces. If the pieces will not peel then use a knife. Cut the pumpkin into small cubes then toss into a food processor. Puree until smooth. Sometimes it is quite dry and hard to puree, so you may need to add 1 tablespoon or so to each batch you puree.
Split the pureed pumpkin into two one gallon freezer bags. Label the bags and place them in the freezer if not going to be used right away.
[...] this post I told you to scoop the seeds from the small pumpkin but not to throw them away. And this is [...]
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