How to Make Fresh Whole Pumpkin into Puree

Have you ever tried to take a whole pumpkin and make it into puree? It can be too watery, but not with my method.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• pie pumpkin
• oven
• greased baking trays
• large knife
• spoon or ice-cream scoop
• paper towels
• food storage container

1. Grow or buy a pumpkin that is suitable for cooking. The large "Cinderella" pumpkin is a French type that is great as food ("Cinderella" is a French fairy tale). Small pie pumpkins are great and much easier to handle.

2. Cut the pumpkin in half. Do not peel it. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (medium).

3. Scoop out the seeds. You can bake them, too, in a separate container.

4. Put the halves, cut side down, onto a greased baking sheet.

5. Bake the pumpkin halves at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

6. Remove it from the oven when cooked and let it cool to lukewarm.

7. Scoop the meat out of the pumpkin shells and spread it out onto a clean baking sheet or tray in a smooth layer. Discard the shells.

8. Pat three or four thicknesses of paper towels over the pumpkin meat. This will draw out the excess moisture.

9. Now you have dense, non-watery fresh pumpkin meat to use for pies or pumpkin bread in place of canned pumpkin. Use it immediately or freeze for future use.

Tips & Warnings

• Season the finished fresh pumpkin with pumpkin pie spice or other spices to taste.
• You can dry some uncooked pumpkin seeds and plant them in spring after the danger of frost passes.
• Many people enjoy toasted pumpkin seeds, but they are fibrous.
• Do you have a decorative pumpkin and wonder whether it's edible? Some pumpkin like decorations are gourds. They taste bitter, and you can tell the difference by tasting a sliver of raw pumpkin. If it tastes fresh and kind of carroty, it is a pumpkin. If it is bitter, throw it out. Cooking it will only make it worse.

[Mackeybooks]

on 4/26/2009 Thanks for the great comments! Plant more pumpkins!!

[Merriment]

on 4/25/2009 Making pumpkin puree has been a problem for me before. I will be using these tips next time!

[tikrit01]

on 11/20/2008 Sounds good! 5 Stars!