It's October! Time for pumpkins! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin popcorn, pumpkin brownies, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin soup, etc, etc, etc. I could go on and on. Have you seen some of the weird pumpkin combos in the stores? I think someone (beside's me) has gone nuts with all things pumpkin!
Today I am going to share with you how to actually go from pumpkin to puree. Don't be intimidated! It's NOT hard! :)
Today I am going to share with you how to actually go from pumpkin to puree. Don't be intimidated! It's NOT hard! :)
Step 1: Picking the Perfect Pumpkin
There are a TON of pumpkins around this time of year. But what pumpkin will be good for eating? You don't want anything bigger than a soccer ball. A little bigger is fine, but nothing to big! On the flip side, you don't want it to be to small. It's fine if you use something small, just know you'll get less puree.
You want the pumpkin's outer shell to be smooth with no weird bumps like those freeky little gourds. Nice and smooth!
Make sure there's no bug bites or holes or rotting spots. You never know what might be living in there! Bleck!
Or, you could go the easy way and find a "pie" pumpkin. Just sayin'. ;)
Step 2: Remove The Stem
You want the pumpkin's outer shell to be smooth with no weird bumps like those freeky little gourds. Nice and smooth!
Make sure there's no bug bites or holes or rotting spots. You never know what might be living in there! Bleck!
Or, you could go the easy way and find a "pie" pumpkin. Just sayin'. ;)
Step 2: Remove The Stem
Okay, so kind of obvious, but needed to be said. All you do is snap it off!
Step 3: Chop!
Step 3: Chop!
Find yourself a big knife. No little dinky ones here. I'm talkin' BIG! Well, okay, you get the idea. All you're doing here is chopping the pumpkin in half, from the top to the bottom.
Step 4: Scoop
Use a spoon and scoop out as much seeds and stringy stuff as possible. Don't worry about getting everything. It's mainly the seeds you're trying to scrape out.
Step 5: Bake
Once you feel you thoroughly cleaned your pumpkin halves, fill a 13x9 pan with about 1 inch of water. Place your pumpkin halves CUT SIDE DOWN into the pan. Place into your oven, heated to 400 degrees and bake them for about an hour. You'll know they're done when you poke a sharp knife into it and it slides in smoothly. If it's tough at all it's not ready. You want it to be nice and soft. Sometimes it takes and hour and a half. It just depends.
Step 6: Scoop...Again!
Step 6: Scoop...Again!
Watch out! It's going to be HOT!!! I flipped them so the cut sides were facing up to cool before I started scooping. I also used a heat-resistant glove I use for cheese making, but you can let it cool until it's cool enough to handle.
Here's where you do the detail scooping. Now that it's warm and smooshy the stringy stuff will scoop out easily. Scrape all that yucky stuff out!
Once that's done, you'll want a different bowl and scoop out the pumpkin flesh. It's just like scooping ice cream! And yes, I'm a pro at that. ;)
Here's where you do the detail scooping. Now that it's warm and smooshy the stringy stuff will scoop out easily. Scrape all that yucky stuff out!
Once that's done, you'll want a different bowl and scoop out the pumpkin flesh. It's just like scooping ice cream! And yes, I'm a pro at that. ;)
Grab a spoon, or other scoopy device, and scoop away! Get as close to the shell as you can without actually getting bits of that too. This can be slightly difficult, since it tends to flop and fall and be hard to handle. I'll sometimes set it on the table and scrape it that way. Whatever works!
Step 7: Blend
You are almost done! Just dump all the pumpkin you scooped into a blender, add a little bit of water, about 1/3 cup, and blend away! You might need to stop and mix it around a few times. Tip: the longer you let it blend, the smoother your puree will be!
Ya'll are Done!!
From here you can freeze it for later use, or keep it in the refrigerator to use for things like muffins, pie, pancakes, brulee, lattes, smoothies, scones, chili, cheese, crackers, brownies.....okay. You got it. Anyway, I hope you give it a try, now that you know it's NOT as hard as it sounds. ;)