How to Dry Miniature Pumpkins

Drying miniature pumpkins is a way to preserve the vegetable for several months.

Drying vegetables is one way to preserve them. Pumpkins grow in a variety of sizes from small to enormous. Dying miniature pumpkins makes them available all year round as side dishes, recipe ingredients or for pumpkin pies. Drying or dehydrating food is an economical way to store food for several months.

Things You'll Need

• Paper towels
• Pot with lid
• Wire basket
• Cookie sheet
• Oven
• Airtight containers or plastic zipper seal bags

Instructions

1. Select miniature pumpkins that are firm, ripe, with good color and no mold.

2. Wash the pumpkins in cold running water. Dry the vegetable with paper towels.

3. Fill a deep pot two-thirds with water and put on the lid. Turn on stove and bring pot to a boil.

4. Slice the pumpkin in half with a knife. Remove all the seeds. Cut each half into ¼-inch thick pieces. Thinner pieces will dry faster.

5. Put the pumpkin slices into a wire basket that fits into the pot. Submerge the wire basket into the boiling water. Leave it there for one minute.

6. Take the wire basket out of the pot. Put it under cold running water to stop the pumpkin from cooking. Dry the pumpkin slices on paper towels.

7. Turn the oven on to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pumpkin slices on a cookie sheet and put the cookie sheet into the oven.

8. Turn the fan on in the oven to circulate the hot air. If the oven doesn’t have a fan, open the oven door one to two inches.

9. Leave the pumpkin slices in the oven for 10 to 16 hours. Turn the pumpkin slices every three to four hours so the slices dry evenly. Check the pumpkin near the tenth hour to see if the slices are hard and brittle. This indicates the pumpkin is dehydrated.

10. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven when the slices are brittle. Turn off the oven. Let the slices cool.

11. Place the pumpkin slices into airtight containers or plastic zipper bags. Store pumpkin slices in a cool and dark place, such as a pantry.

Tips & Warnings

• Don’t leave the oven on and unattended at night. Turn the oven off before you go to bed. Leave pumpkin slices in the oven overnight. Resume drying in the morning.

References

• National Gardening Association; Pumpkin Varieties and How to Grow Big Ones; National Gardening Association Editors
• Virginia Coopertative Extension; Using Dehydration to Preserve Fruits, Vegetables, and Meats; Renee Boyer, et al.; July 2009
• Praying for Parker; Dehydrating Pumpkins; October 2010
• Pick Your Own; Food Dehydration -- How to dry your own fruits, vegetables and other foods; September 2011