Pumpkin Palooza

I found myself in possession of 3 very large pumpkins. What to do with them so they don’t got to waste.

You can only can pumpkin in chunks which I have never really liked. I like to puree my cooked pumpkin so it can be used in recipes. First step is to cook the pumpkin. I cook mine similar to how you would cook a squash. I do cut slits about 6-7 around the pumpkin so it does not explode from steam. Place it in a 350 F degree oven for about 90 minutes. Pierce the skin and when it is soft your pumpkin is done.

After it has cooled I cut it open (cutting cooked pumpkin is WAY easier than cutting a raw pumpkin). Scoop out the seeds and save them. I put all the cooked parts minus the outer shell in my food processor and let it puree everything.

I place between 1/2 to 3/4 cup of puree in each bag before vacuum sealing. I find this to be the most common amount called for in the recipes I use. Throw them into the freezer and you can thaw out some whenever you feel like making a pumpkin delight.

If you have a dog I used to drop the puree by the tablespoon on a tray and freeze it. All of my dogs love having it as a treat later in the summer.

Now what to do with all the seeds! I wash them really well. If you want to discuss science principles place the seeds in a sink full of water. The stringy bits will drop to the bottom for the most part, seeds float to the top - it’s all about the density.

After I have washed them twice and gotton all the stringy bits away I place them on a tray to dry overnight. I then place them some salted boiling water and boil for about 5-10 minutes. Drain them and either cook as is or add seasonings. This time I added olive oil and salt to a batch before roasting for the classic flavor. The next batch got olive oil and sprinkled with my own ranch dressing mix for a ranch flavored batch. The last batch were coated in butter, brown sugar nad cinnamon before roasting. Each batch was delicious.