A few summers ago, I grew pumpkins for the first time. In fact, I grew a giant, 60 pound pumpkin and entered a giant pumpkin contest. This is not a behemoth by giant pumpkin contest standards, but I was pretty proud of it!
My pumpkin didn’t win the contest, but after my kids painted scary faces on it for Halloween, I had to figure out what to do with my pumpkin monster. Since I am a huge fan of anything pumpkin, I decided to go to the effort to make my own pumpkin puree – which didn’t turn out to be much effort at all.
My initial foray into pumpkin puree making was a huge success, and my freezer was full of my giant pumpkin pureed up into quart sized freezer bags for almost a year!
I discovered that there is just something about the texture and flavor of the homemade stuff that beats canned any day of the week. And then, of course, there is the healthy benefits!
I made everything I could think of pumpkin – soup, smoothies, muffins, pancakes, bread, you name it. My latest favorite is pumpkin kombucha, aka, pumpkin pie in a bottle! I’ve been pleased with the taste of the pumpkin recipes I have made using homemade puree.
I recently discovered a super easy way to bake a pumpkin and make pumpkin puree. It’s so simple, it’s ridiculous – I hate to even call it a recipe. Since it helps me get more of the tasty puree made and tucked away into the freezer, it’s my go to method now.
Watch the video “How to Bake a Pumpkin and Make Pumpkin Puree – the Easiest Way Ever” to see how incredibly simple this is. You’ll wonder why you never did it before!
Give it a try! Substitute homemade for canned and let me know the results! What is your favorite fall recipe using homemade pumpkin puree? Do you notice a difference between canned and homemade? Comment below!
See you in the garden,
CaliKim
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This is my first year to bake a pumpkin, scoop the flesh out, puree it, and put it in the freezer. I have enough to make 1 pumpkin pie, and maybe some cookies. You are absolutely right, it couldn’t have been easier to get my own fresh pumpkin puree!
Hello Kathy, so glad you tried it, such a time saver and the flavor and texture is out of this world! Let me know how your treats turn out. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so much for showing me how to cook my squash in the Crock-Pot. It turned out absolutely wonderful. I had a buttercup squash that I put in my microwave at 5 in the afternoon on low and cooked it all night until 7 in the morning and it turned out wonderful. I made a wonderful squash soup that everybody raved about. Thank you again and I will never make another squash in the oven.
Hello Audrey, glad you enjoyed it – what a time saver! I’d love to try some of that buttercup squash soup, sounds so delicious. Always fun to make a recipe from the garden for friends and family! Thanks for sharing!
Now if only we had a crockpot big enough for your 60 pound pumpkin! ~smile~
Thank you so much for the tip! I am interested in your kumbucha!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Linda, that would make it so much easier to cook those behemoths, right? Have fun cooking up your pumpkins! I did just post a video on my YouTube channel on how to make kombucha tea, https://youtu.be/wB9cVyioLXA?list=PLH4z_9MDD00K-twPLGjX_VARErCpicYAy. Let me know if you try it!
Never thought about growing Pumpkin, before and every year I buy them to carve out and throw away! After reading this, I have a fresh outlook and will try growing them and using them for more than a lantern. Thank you so much CaliKim 🙂
You are welcome, Paul! Glad to provide some inspiration, let mw know how your pumpkin growing goes.
Love your vids cali your the best