My husband and I bought some extra pumpkins for this Halloween season. We carved one but will use the other others to eat. Of course we'll roast the seeds.
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You'll want to cook the pumpkin first--cut it in pieces, remove the seeds, and bake it in the oven (at 350 degrees until tender--about an hour?). Some people boil it, but that leaves the flesh too moist and runny after processing. Baking will cook it and dry it out a little. You can peel it either before or after the baking.
Package it in 2-cup portions, put it in a sandwich bag, lay flat and freeze.
I find the easiest way is to bake the Pumpkin. First my husband cuts them into large chunks. Then I put them on a foil covered baking sheet with sides & bake at 325°F
for about an hour.(this depends on the thickness of the pumpkin & the size of the chunks) Just bake until tender. Then let cool for a bit and scrape the pulp our with a large spoon. Then whirl in the food processor in small batches until it resembles the pumpkin you buy in the can. If it is too wet, drain it before you package it for the freezer.
Cut your pumpkin in half and deseed. Faster than the oven.....place some plastic wrap over each half and cook on high in the microwave for about 7 minutes per side. The microwave does not dry it out like the oven will. Puree and freeze in amounts you need for your favorite pumpkin muffin, cheesecake or pie.
I wouldn't use carving pumpkins for things like pumpkin pie. The flesh is really too tasteless. The best for pumpkin pies, etc, is a sugar, or pie, pumpkin. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits and place cut-side down in a baking dish and bake at 350 until the flesh is soft. Scoop out the pulp to use. I've found that one average-size pie pumpkin will yield enough puree for 2 pies, or the equivalent of 2 small cans of pumpkin. Good luck!
Camilla
Has anyone ever used a regular carving pumpkin?
Yes. The price can't be beat, especially after (or very close to) Halloween.
I've canned it, frozen it and used both / either for soups and stews, even chili.
It also make a terrific jam (let me know if you want a recipe for Pumpkin Ginger jam. Check online for other recipes which would be suitable for gift giving? Chutneys and salsas and that sort of thing where pumpkin is supplemented with other ingredients and the flavour doesn't rest entirely on the pumpkin.
You should make pumpkin doughnuts with an apple cider glaze! It sounds gross but they are really good! I don't know the recipe but I am sure that you can just type it in to google!
When you cook your pumpkin, you can just wash it and place on a cookie sheet, I use an old one and bake it like you would a bake potatoe in the oven, depending on the size, poke it with a fork if it goes in smoothly, then it is done, if not what a little longer and try again. I got this from a recipe book from the 20's it was given to my mother when she got married. I think she said its Meta Given, or gibbons?
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