Pumpkins are everywhere this time of year. A great way to pinch your pennies is to recycle them, or use them for multiple purposes. Don’t let them rot on your porch! These are my 3 favorite ways to use up pumpkins:
*Cook them and save the puree in your freezer for cooking throughout the winter. You would be surprise how much puree you can get from one pumpkin.
*Roast the pumpkin seeds…so good!
*Make dinner in a pumpkin…really yummy and festive!
If you have never cooked a pumpkin before, here is how I do it. Really easy. I should have taken pictures, but I didn’t think about it…sorry! Take your pumpkin and slice it up so it’s in medium sized pieces. With a small pumpkin I cut it into fourths. Then lay the slices skin side up on a large cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour, or until the pumpkin middle is soft. Remove from the oven and let cool. Turn the slices over, scrape out the innards (save the seeds too if you want for roasting). The skin should easily peel off. Put the pumpkin into a food processor or blender to puree. Blend well….nothing worse than stringy puree. That’s it! Package into airtight containers or Ziploc bags to freeze. Don’t forget to label them.
How do you recycle your pumpkins?
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bee-singer
I thought you had to have “Pie Pumpkins” to cook………can you cook with the large pumpkins that we typically carve??
marnec
yes you can! Just don’t cook one that has been left outside after being carved, it will most likely be dirty or be contaminated.