Image by anslatadams via Flickr
I consider myself a novice when it comes to gardening, and last year I decided to grow sugar pumpkins so I could make pumpkin pies and bars with pumpkins I grew. So, being a beginner, I planted as many seeds as I could. The result was a bumper crop of pumpkins! I couldn't bear the thought of all my hard work going to waste, so I had to quickly figure out how to preserve all those pumpkins. It came down to 2 choices, I could can or freeze pumpkin puree. I did not want to spend the time it requires to can the pumpkins, so I chose to make the puree and then freeze it. It is really simple.
Preheat oven to 350.
Wash the outside of the pumpkin. Cut into quarters and clean the seeds and stringy pulp out (keep seeds for roasted pumpkin seeds). Then cut the quarters into chunks, lay skin side up and roast for 45-50 minutes, until the flesh is tender.
Cool the pumpkin until easy to handle. Scrape skins off and puree in a food processor until smooth. Allow to cool completely then transfer in to plastic freezer bags. I like to measure it as I bag it up. I like to put 1 C. in each bag. Label the bags with the date and use within a year for the best flavor.
>
0 comments: