Pumpkin Puree

I got this pumpkin from when Kalvin, Michelle and I went to Green Bluff. It was so fun!

This is not your normal jack-o-lanterns! It is a pie pumpkin or a sugar pumpkin like the site below calls it. They are generally smaller, sweeter, and thicker than the big pumpkins you carve. Thus don't make a pie out of your jack-o-lantern! I actually have had a piece of pie made out of a jack-o-lantern last year (I didn't make it but this was when I didn't know there were different kinds of pumpkins that had different purposes in life), it did not taste like regular pumpkin pie, it was actually kind of bitter.

So I made pumpkin puree from a recipe/instructions found here.

 It was amazingly tough to cut into. You definitely would not be able to carve this pumpkin! I decided to save the seeds, which was gross because you had to dig through the guts, but Kalvin said he wanted the seeds so ok.

I covered my pan with tin foil, sprayed it with cooking spray and covered the pumpkin with tinfoil. Then throw it in the over 350F for about 50-60 minutes.

 Scooping out the pumpkin after baking. It came out kind of stringy looking so I was worried I did something wrong but it all worked out in the end

 trying to mash with a spoon.

 I don't have a food processor/chopper because the one I had died after about 4 uses, and I guess I don't have use for one very much because we haven't had to buy a new one. Anyway because I don't have one I had to get creative. First I was mashing pumpkin with a spoon and that was working but took forever. Then I tried the blender and that was a total disaster because the blade would just move the pumpkin out of the way and not chop anything. I ended up using my kitchen aid and beating it, which worked really well.

I ended up with 4 cups of pumpkin puree. That all came from just 1 pumpkin! I was pretty impressed! Plus it looks like the stuff from the can, well almost, the texture is some areas is a little different but for the most part it's the same.

Divided out in to 1 cup portions ready to go to the freezer. I am still amazed I got 4 cups!

I think I will be buying more pumpkins to stock up on pumpkin puree!