I had cooked with nothing but canned pumpkin my whole life until I was 41 years old! I finally learned how to cook my own pumpkin when I worked at a health food bakery. We
made fresh pumpkin pies from sugar pumpkins. I was amazed at how easy they are to cook. Pumpkin is packed with Vitamin A, and it is a great vegetable to use in recipes in
fall and winter months. You can make all kinds of yummy, nutritious foods with pumpkin, such as pumpkin soup, cookies, bread, pie, milkshakes, and more. You can even use pumpkin pulp as a
facial. Carrots are used in Burt's Bee's cremes, and the high Vitamin A content of pumpkin makes it beneficial to skin in the same way as carrots. In this article, I will show you how to cook your own
pumpkin from scratch, as a much tastier alternative to canned pumpkin. I will share some of my favorite pumpkin recipes with you in this article, as well.
The big carving pumpkins are not the best for cooking. They can be tough and tasteless. Sugar pumpkins are better for cooking.
TO COOK YOUR OWN PUMPKIN: Pick a nice sugar pumpkin, such as those pictured above...
Then cut it in half... Scoop out all of the seeds and make a clean middle, free of strings, etc. (you can save
the seeds to use later)
Put the cleaned out pumpkin halves, peel side out, in a pan, with a little water in it. Put it in an oven at 350 degrees until it is soft.
Take the pumpkin out of the oven, cool, and then you can peel back the skin.
After you peel the cooked pumpkins, you can mash the pulp and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days to use in recipes calling for pumpkin.
Homemade pumpkin pulp can be more watery than the kind you get in a can. If your pulp is watery, you can either squeeze some of the water out with
cheesecloth, or use a towel but know that the towel will be stained orange, or you can use coffee filters too...
Or you can bake some of the water out by spreading 2 1/2 cups of the pulp on a pan and bake it in a 275 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until half what it was. Stir a few
times during the process. Cool before using in recipes.
"Pumpkin Pie Spice" is a combination of aromatic sweet spices used often in gingerbread, pumpkin pies, pumpkin breads, etc. You can buty it already made in stores or you can make
and store your own Pumpkin Pie Spice. You can also give some homemade Pumpkin Pie Spices in a nice jar wrapped in ribbon as a holiday gift for someone.
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE Mix together 2 t cinnamon * 1 t ground ginger * 1/4 t ground nutmeg * 1/4 t ground cloves * 1/4 t ground cardamon * 1/2 t grated lemon rind
Store in an airtight jar and use when needed for pumpkin pie, pumpkin baked goods, etc.
ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP 2 T butter * 1 onion, finely chopped * A few T fresh Italian parsley, chopped * 2 T chopped fresh ginger or ground ginger to taste * 4 cups pureed roasted pumpkin * 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water *
1 cup half-and-half or cream * salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a pan, then add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the ginger and cook 2 more minutes while stirring. Add the parsley and pumpkin, then the stock/water
and mix well. Add the half and half or cream and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer for 5 minutes then serve.
******************* PUMPKIN PIE *******************
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE 2 cups of mashed pumpkin pulp * 1 1/2 cup heavy cream * 1/2 cup brown sugar * 1/3 cup white sugar * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg * 1 1/2 Tbsp
pumpkin pie spice (store-bought or use recipe below) * 1 pie crust
In a bowl, mix together the sugars, salt, and spices. Beat the eggs and add to the mix. Stir in the pumpkin purée and cream. Whisk all together until well-mixed. Pour into
pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake 40-50 minutes, or until a knife in the center comes out clean.
******** PUMPKIN BUTTER (like apple butter) *********
PUMPKIN BUTTER 8 cups cooked pumpkin pulp * 8 cups brown sugar * 4 lemons, grated rind and juice * 1 1/4 t ground cinnamon * 1/2 t ground nutmeg * 1/2 t ground allspice * 1/2 t cloves
Combine pumpkin, sugar, lemons rind, and spices in a pan and cook over low heat for about 1 hour, stirring frequently. When it is very thick, like apple butter, spoon into
hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Seal and process in hot-water bath for 10 minutes or store in refrigerator and use right away. Makes 6 pints.
Take the pumpkin out of the oven, cool, and then you can peel back the skin.
PUMPKIN RECIPES
Kirsten Anderberg. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint/publish, please contact Kirsten at kirstena@resist.ca.