Pumpkins are in season! There is chatter once again that there will be a shortage this holiday season on canned pumpkin. You can avoid the search at the store by freezing your own pumpkin NOW! Super simple. Super healthy. It just takes a few steps and you are all set.

Step 1. Wash your pumpkins and place on a cookie sheet.

These are small sweet pumpkins that I found at the grocery store.  If you have a local farmers market go support your local farmer and use their pumpkins.  Supporting your local farmer will cut down on your carbon footprint and help you local economy!

Step 2. Roast them.

Simply place them in your oven that has been heated to 250 degrees for 45-60 minutes. The pumpkins are roasted when they have a bit of color on the skin and they are fork or knife tender. One or two of them might even start to deflate like an old balloon.  Now you are good to go!

Step 3. Remove the stem and cut the roasted pumpkin into pieces.

There is the option to cut the pumpkin into managable pieces, remove the seeds and skin  OR

Peel the pumpkin.

OR you can just cut the pumpkin in managable pieces, leaving the skin and seeds in tact.  The Squeeze-O will remove them for you.

Here is the Squeeze-o set up. The small bowl will catch the seeds and skins and the big bowl will collect the pumpkin puree.

Step 4. Fill the hopper with your pumpkin and start turning.

The more you turn the more will be squeezed out.

See the seeds starting to be removed by the machine?

The more you turn the more puree comes out.

I did leave the seeds and the skins in tact when the pumpkin went into the hopper so there will be different shades of pumpkin color as it is squeezed out.

After the first pumpkin was pureed this is what it looked like.

All 3 pumpkins.  Notice the depth of color. That is from the roasted skins going through the squeeze-O.

Step 5. Package and freeze.

Those 3 pumpkins yielded 10 cups of puree. I chose to package it in 2 cups portions. 2 cups is the equivalent of a can of pumpkin at the store.

Keep in mind this is pumpkin puree. NOT pumpkin pie filling.  There is no added sugars or spices that are included in canned pumpkin pie filling.

 

Congratulations you have now frozen fresh, hopefully local pumpkin. You had control over how it was processed and you made sure nothing was added or taken out of this wonderful vegetable.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

If you do not have a squeeze-O or something similar that removes skins and seeds a food processor or blender can be used.  Just remove the seeds and skins from the pumpkin and process.  The advantage of having a squeeze-O is that it removes the seeds and skins automatically. It also ‘squeezes’ all the nutrition from the skins and seeds into the puree.

 

Do you like this post? Here are a few of my other HOW TO posts:

Applesauce

Can Bruschetta 

Make Pickles

Chalkboard Cups

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