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Most plants that are found in a garden or farm are grown for the fruit and vegetables that they will eventually bear. The rest of the plant is then discarded or turned to mulch for the next year's crop. However, a number of plants can yield an additional flavorful food as well: the leaves. A number of plants, such as celery, sweet potato and pumpkins, have leaves that can be made into nutritious side dishes and salads. Pumpkin leaves should be harvested at the peak of freshness while they are still young and tender.
Cooking pumpkins with their skin makes little difference in the final product unless pureed, which gives provides a coarser texture than when pureed without. Pumpkin skin usually falls away on its own after cooking, but if you incorporate roasted pumpkin skin in a preparation it deepens the overall flavor. For instance, using roasted skin-on pumpkin in traditional pumpkin pie lends the dish a rich smokiness unattainable when made with skinless pumpkin.
After a successful fall harvest, you may find yourself with an abundance of pumpkins. Rather than forcing yourself to bake pumpkin pie after pumpkin pie, preserve your pumpkins for later use by freezing them. Freezing pumpkins is a way to preserve your bounty and enjoy your pumpkins further on down the road when you're craving some pumpkin treats. With a little time and after some preparation, freezing pumpkins is a smart and economical decision.
The verb "to blanch" may be used to indicate the process of removing an object's color. In the case of vegetables, however, the meaning is quite the opposite. The process of blanching pumpkins, for example, actually brightens and enhances the natural colors of the vegetable, making the pumpkin more vivid while preserving nutrients, flavor and texture. Blanched pumpkin, like all blanched vegetables, may be cooked, baked, eaten plain or frozen for later use without losing any of its distinct color or character.
You can preserve carved Halloween pumpkins for later use if you freeze them quickly after the holiday. Wait to carve until right before use to ensure that the pumpkin is as fresh as can be when storing. Freezing pumpkin also allows you to use it as an ingredient during the off season. If stored correctly, frozen pumpkin can produce the same results as fresh pumpkin, and you can use it anytime throughout the year.
Pumpkins ripen in fall and become available at the grocer or produce stand in fall and early winter. The sweet, nutty flesh of pumpkins complements both savory and sweet dishes, including pies, puddings and soups. Freezing the pumpkin provides a storage method that preserves the flavor and color of the pumpkin. Blanching, or boiling, cooks and softens the pumpkin flesh so you can mix it right into your recipe after you defrost it.
Pumpkins represent not only harvest time, but also the celebration of Halloween to many people. One of the most consistent means of preserving pumpkins, used since the beginning of civilization, is dehydrating. This allows the vegetable to be preserved indefinitely.
Put your carved jack-o-lanterns to good use after Halloween is over by freezing them as ingredients for future pies, desserts, breads and soups. Preserve only carved pumpkins that are still healthy and fresh. Carved pumpkins that are only a day or two old are best. Freezing carved pumpkins will ensure you can provide delicious, pumpkin-flavored dishes for your family members to enjoy throughout the entire year.
Save your carved Halloween pumpkin for use in pies, breads and soups later in the winter. Carving your pumpkin the day before Halloween prevents it from breaking down and degrading during display. Freezing allows you to preserve your carved pumpkin with only a minor loss in flavor. Frozen mashed pumpkin is more watery than fresh pumpkin once thawed, but the flavor it provides to your desserts and main dishes is comparable to the flavor of fresh.
Autumn pumpkins are for more than just carving into Halloween jack-o'-lanterns. You can use fresh pumpkin for cooking and baking. To prepare the pumpkin, bake it skin-side-down in a roasting pan and cut the pulp out after it's cool. You can store the fresh pumpkin in cubes, or puree it in a food processor first. Freezing or refrigerating the pumpkin are good ways to keep it fresh if you can't use it right away. Simply remove the pumpkin from storage when you're ready to make pies, breads or any other fall-inspired recipe.
When the fall comes around, pumpkins start popping up and people start eating them just as quickly. There are pumpkin pies of course, but another option is pumpkin butter. This is usually served on toast, but it can be mixed up for a variety of uses as well. To make pumpkin butter, one method is to slow cook it. This intensifies the spices in the mix, and makes a creamy butter great for any number of uses. Plus, it only takes about three hours to make.
Pumpkin isn't just for pies. Adding pumpkin puree to soups, sauces, breads and muffins enhances color and flavor. Rich in fiber and Vitamin A, pumpkin fits equally well into sweet and savory dishes. Pumpkins may seem synonymous with fall, but freezing pumpkin puree lets you enjoy pumpkin-flavored treats throughout the year. While other cooking methods are adequate, roasting pumpkin before freezing brings out its rich, mellow taste. Roasting also removes some of the water content in fresh pumpkin, making the final frozen product smoother and more concentrated.
Sugar pumpkins are small, dark orange pumpkins, and are sometimes called sweet pumpkins or pie pumpkins. Sugar pumpkins can be used in many different types of recipes, including desserts and baked goods. When shopping for sugar pumpkins, look for pumpkins labeled as cooking pumpkins, rather than the large field pumpkins often used for decorating. Sugar pumpkins are sweeter and less stringy than field pumpkins, and are easier to prepare for use in recipes. Depending upon the cook's choice of methods, they can be either baked, stewed or microwaved.
If you are looking to decrease the amount of fat in your diet, one of the easiest places to start is with baked goods. Instead of using oil or butter in your dessert recipes, you can substitute canned pureed pumpkin. When you learn some tips on how to cook light with pumpkin, you can decrease the total fat and calories in a recipe and increase the vitamins, minerals and fiber. The finished results will be slightly different, due to the unique taste of pumpkin, but these will be less noticeable in some recipes than in others. There are a few…
Most of us think of pumpkin as jack-o-lanterns but until the 19th century, turnips were used for the traditional folk Halloween. Early American colonists discovered this native squash and used it to survive through the first cruel New World winters. After that, creative cooks discovered dozens of uses for the orange fruit. Pumpkins are members of the species “Cucurbita pepo” from which the treat we know as roasted pumpkin seeds derives the name “pepitas.” Once you’ve cooked a pumpkin for recipes ranging from classic pumpkin pie to pumpkin ravioli, you’ll never want to use canned pumpkin again.
