Making pumpkin puree! Pumpkin is a healthy treat!

Making pumpkin puree

I am going to quickly explain, mostly through pics, how I make pumpkin puree for use in pumpkin recipes.  Why cook or bake with pumpkin?  It is loaded with Vitamin A and C, and lots of minerals like zinc and magnesium, and it is a good source of fiber!

When I say "pumpkin" I am really talking about any type of orange fleshed squash.  I love Georgia Candy Roasters and they are a banana shaped squash.  I also like the Jarrahdale Blue Pumpkin (this is what I am using for this demonstration below) because they are SO dense and heavy...lots of flesh to harvest!  I like to use my crock pot for cooking the pumpkin...

I put the pumpkin on my pillow so I remember to put it into the crockpot before bed...LOL! 

I cut it in half and clean out the seeds (and give the seeds to the chickens)...I can only fit one half of the pumpkin in each time...I put the crock pot on "low" heat and go to bed...

In the morning, the pumpkin is all soft and squishy...and hot!  Be careful!  I let it cool down and then scrape out the flesh and put into my food processor...

After pureeing all the pumpkin up and making it smooth, I actually put it in a cheesecloth lined sieve to drain out the extra "juice"...(I give the juice to the chickens too as well as the soft outer rind)...I fold the cheesecloth over the top of the pumpkin...

Then, I put a brick on top to weigh it down and really squeeze out the pumpkin juice...I feel this is a necessary step because if you try to bake with the freshly pureed pumpkin...it will add a lot of moisture into your recipe and ruin your final product...ask me how I know...

I let the pumpkin drain all day...now it is nice and THICK!!!

Then, I weigh it and put it into freezer bags.  I think it is considered unsafe to can pumpkin because it is so thick.  Maybe you could pressure can it but I just started freezing it years ago so that is what I continue to do...I lay the bags flat in the freezer and they really don't take up that much room...once they are frozen, you can even stack them on their sides...

Pumpkin is great in breads and muffins and donuts...of course!  But there are lots of savory ways to use pumpkin too!  AND...it is super healthy for you!

Here are a few links to my favorites:

Thai Pumpkin Chicken Curry

https://myheartbeets.com/thai-pumpkin-chicken-curry/

Pumpkin Bacon and Chard Lasagna...there are LOTS of pumpkin pasta recipes out there!  Just google pumpkin and pasta...another good one is pumpkin mac and cheese!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pumpkin-bacon-and-chard-lasagna-13162208

Pumpkin Turkey Chili...there are actually LOTS of pumpkin soup recipes...like butternut squash soup...many times, I don't even have to me making a special "pumpkin" chili...I just add some pumpkin puree to my chili...makes it nice and thick...

https://busyfamilyrecipes.com/pumpkin-turkey-chili/

Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/chicken-enchiladas-with-pumpkin-sauce/

Okay, this one is a sweet one (not savory), but I just discovered it last month and it is my new favorite!  Put it in the crock pot before bed and wake up to breakfast...to remind myself, I put the steal cut oats on my pillow...

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/slow-cooker-pumpkin-pie-oatmeal/

Bonus tip: wear gloves when you handle pumpkin...it has an enzyme that is an exfoliant...I picked seeds out of a pumpkin one time and then my fingertips peeled for days and drove me crazy!!!  

I actually prefer spaghetti squash seeds for roasting...I like their smaller size.

I LOVE pumpkin seeds too and grow a "special" type of pumpkin just for the hulless seeds.  I could go on and on about seeds because they are just powerhouses of nutrition.  I did make a blog post about saving and smoking! pumpkin seeds a few years ago and you can see it here:

https://remarkablefarms.blogspot.com/2021/10/smoking-seeds.html

Sorry...not sure why my links are not hyperlinking so you will have to copy and paste!

Here are the Georgia Candy Roaster squashes that I had mentioned at the beginning of the post!  I have a whole water tank full!

Have an eggcellent day!

~ Denise