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So here's my journey from pumpkin to freezer to pie!
Start with a large pumpkin. I'm sure any kind will work but I'm using the light orangish-yellow ones. Wash it well.
Cut in half crosswise and scrap out all the strings and seeds better known as "the guts" around here.
Lay the pumkpin shell up on a large cookie sheet/pan with sides because it will produce a lot of juice while it's baking. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until the shell starts to collapse when pushed on.
Remove from oven, invert on a strainer for an hour or so while cooling (thanks for that tip from Paul at Salt Creek Life) so your flesh will not have so much juice in it. Flip it over and the inside will be soft and juicy.
Scrape the inside of the pumpkin from the peel. I have found this very easy to do with a spatula to hold the peel and one of those pumpkin scrapers from the jack-o-lantern kits to scrape with. Larger pumpkins may have a bit stringier flesh. Just give it a quick mash with a potato masher after you have scraped it from the peel.
I got 10 cups of wonderful pumpkin from this medium-sized one.
Look at that beautiful color and my house smelled so good from just baking the pumpkin.
I used 4 cups of this to make pies and a put the rest in 2 cup amounts into freezer bags, let cool completely and placed in freezer.
I have 3 more larger pumpkins just like this one and plan to freeze them also. This is so easy to do and tomorrow......I'll share the pie I baked.......yum!!!!
9 comments:
Yummy looking!!! What a great homemaker you are!! I want to live next door to you!!!
Thank you for the great photos! I will add making a real pumpkin pie to my list of things to bake when I get my oven working. That pie must have been terrific.
You have a head start on me with your punkin processin! Just a tip you may try on your next batch... After cooking, I let the pumpkin flesh drain in a strainer for a couple hours to make it more firm and less juice. Dang, you got me hungry for some punkin pie!
Oh what a great idea! I never would have thought to do this. I'm totally going to do this with the pumpkins we grew this year. I tell ya, I learn something useful every time I come here!
Elle
Thank you for that tip, Paul. I hope it's okay that I added it to my post. I was going to add that some of the juice needed to be drained from the pumpkin flesh to make the pie but with this tip that will already be taken care of!
Thanks again!
Yes, homegrown pumpkin is the absolute best! I have canned mine in years past.. I also use winter squash of any kind to make squash pies. They are a tad milder but make wonderful pies as well. Love your photos!
I am definitely going to do this. You make it look so easy. Thank you for putting this up. I did this along time ago and just needed to be encouraged again. Everything looks so nice on your blog. Want to try the bird feeder also.
Blessings,
Linda
Just came across your blog and Love it. How long does it last in your freezer? I have a problem with everthing getting freezer burnt.Have any sugestions on that? Thanks
Mariet, I decided to use some from last year so I can make room for more this year and it was still fine. I also used a bag of it in some homemade soap I made and it was fine as well. Hope that helps.
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