Make it Yourself: Pumpkin Puree

Rachel — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:38:19 +0000

‘Tis the season to eat pumpkins. Making your own puree for pie, soups, and baking is a simple and delicious. Here’s how:

Choose your pumpkin. Pie pumpkins have the richest flavor but you can do this with any pumpkin if you wish.

Halve your pumpkin.

Remove the innards. I like to use a grapefruit spoon because the serrated edge helps cut through the stringy bits. You can reserve seeds for roasted pumpkin seeds or garden planting if you wish.

Place halves skin side up on a sheet pan.

Roast in a 350 degree oven for 30 -60 minutes depending on the size of your pumpkin. You will know they are done when the pumpkins are soft to the touch and look deflated like below.

Flip over and allow to cool.

Remove the skin from the roasted pumpkin. For a finer product, puree with a food mill or blender.

Use immediately or prepare to store in the freezer. If you are really wise (I was not) you can measure the puree now and mark quantity on the outside of the freezer bag.

Seal and place flat in the freezer. Puree will keep in the freezer for up to 12 months. Simply put in a bowl of water to thaw before use.

Making pumpkin puree is not necessarily more economical than purchasing it. A 15 ounce can of organic pumpkin puree is $2.79 at my local gourmet store; that’s $0.19 per ounce. I paid $6.50 for these three pie pumpkins and measured 2 pounds 8 ounces weight of the three packages of puree. Hand made puree was, therefore, $0.16 per ounce. A tiny savings, but not much really.

Economy comes into play if I grow my own pumpkins, which I plan to do next year. The pumpkins will then cost very little, especially because I swiped seeds from the organic pie pumpkins.

Even without huge cost savings, puree is so easy that it’s worth my effort. I control the quality of the puree, homemade is less processed and therefore probably retains more nutrients, and it supports local farmers by buying pumpkins directly from them.

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Make it Yourself: Pumpkin Puree is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen
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Squash: the wonder plant

Rachel — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:03:21 +0000

One of the most satisfying plants to grow, in my opinion, is squash. Zucchini, summer, acorn, butternut, pumpkin, and the like are all tremendously easy, delicious, and big. Sometimes size does matter.

hokkaido blue and golden nugget squash from this year's harvest

Squash seeds send out large leaves just a few days after direct seeding. The leaves grow big and wide quickly. Kids love squash plants because they literally grow overnight.

these baby squash are about 5 days old

Wide leaves shade out weeds and reduce the need for watering. They also hide the squash fruits, making harvesting something of an adventure.

peekaboo, golden nugget, I see you!

In gardening, especially urban gardening, size does matter. Squash takes up a lot of space, but yields plenty in return. A friend of Lil’s planted pumpkin seeds with his preschool class. He took the seedling home and recently measured the plant. It is 51 inches in length! Several squash varieties including zucchini can be effectively trellised to reduce some of the horizontal space needs.

squash plants almost taller than Lillian

Squash happens to be one of my favorite fall vegetable flavors. Zucchini is remarkably versatile fresh and can be shredded and frozen to enjoy throughout the winter. Winter squash (acorn, butternut, pumpkin) can be roasted, pureed, sauteed, or grilled. All varieties contain lots of fiber and vitamins. Winter squash can be stored whole in a cool dry place for months at a time.

Before you cook your non-hybridized* squash, consider saving some seeds. Just remove the flesh from a dozen or so seeds and set in a warm dry place until thoroughly dry. We lay ours on top of the refridgerator on a cookie cooling rack. Store in a labeled envelope and you can plant again next year. *Some hybrid plants will not grow from collected seeds. Organic seeds and seedlings are, by their organic certification, non-hybrid.

It’s too late to plant squash and expect a fall harvest in Ohio, but warmer zones still have a chance to enjoy this wonder plant this season. The rest of us will wait until the spring.

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Can someone help me remember to plant pumpkin seeds at the appropriate time to grow our own jack-o-lanterns? That would be fun.

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Squash: the wonder plant is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen
We love to hear from you! Please add your comments or send Rachel an email.

Hounds In The Kitchen » pumpkins

Make it Yourself: Pumpkin Puree

Squash: the wonder plant