Pumpkin Extravaganza
Date: 22 Sep 2009 Comments: 2 so far
OK, so maybe extravaganza is to much of a word for my pumpkin experience, but everything is bigger with a nine month old pulling on your pant leg!
I recently found a semi-large pumpkin for next to nothing, and I absolutely love pumpkin season. Unfortunately, during the previous years I was unable to do anything with pumpkins because I was moving, working, or it was just inconvenient at the time. So, when I found my treasure I could not pass it up, and of course there will be a lot more of this going on in the weeks to come. 
To begin my Pumpkin Extravaganza I started by cutting the top out of the pumpkin and pulling out all of the seeds. I put them in a bowl, rinsed them with water, and removed as much of the “stringy stuff” as possible (I am sure that the stringy stuff has a much more sophisticated name, but I like stringy stuff better)!
Next I put the pumpkin seeds in a pot of water on the stove to bring to a boil. I like to put salt in my water because I do not like to have to add as much salt during the baking process. Once boiling I left them on for about 30-45 minutes. I judge the time mostly on the fact that the seeds change color, and once this has happened they are ready to go into the oven.
The next step seems to be missing a photo, probably because my daughter was pulling on my pant leg during this time, and a picture was the last thing on my mind. Fortunately, I am sure that all of you have a great imagination and won’t require a picture to understand. After the boiling is done, the seeds need to be drained and spread out on a baking sheet. This is the time when you can also salt the seeds to your liking. I do not use that much because I hate that feeling after you have eaten way to many seeds with way to much salt, and your tongue feels like you scraped the skin off of it!! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour (you can test the seeds to see when they are done).
Along with doing the pumpkin seeds I decided that I would go ahead and use the rest of the pumpkin to make pumpkin puree. This way when I decide to make bread or pie I won’t have to buy canned pumpkin, I will already have it in my freezer. My pumpkin was to big to put in the oven whole, so I had to chop it into manageable pieces and put them facing down on a baking sheet with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. I baked it at 357 degrees F for right at 1 hour (or until soft like a baked potato). Remove from the oven and drain any excess water. Scrape any remaining “stringy stuff” from the pumpkin.
Again I am missing a picture, so kick your imagination back into OverDrive! The next step is to scrape the meat away from the skin and put it in a blender or food processor. All I have is a blender, which works perfectly. Once in the blender puree the pumpkin until there are no more lumps. The end product will be nice and smooth
Finally, it is time to put your pumpkin puree into baggies and get it into the freezer. As you can see from the picture I almost forgot to take it. My pumpkin puree is already half froze, but better late then never! I measured out 2 cups per bag (most recipes I use call for 2 cups, so this makes it very easy)! Congratulations, you now have pumpkin puree for Thanksgiving time! Who wants to buy that ole canned pumpkin anyways?
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2 Comments to “Pumpkin Extravaganza”
So what exactly are you going to be doing with the pumpkins. Are you going to cook, bake or carve for Halloween? You did not say.
Hi Emma,
Thanks for checking out my blog! I apologize for the half finished post, I had it all done and when I published it some of it deleted! HOW FRUSTRATING! Anyways, the post is now updated and shows what I did with my pumpkin. Let me know what you think.