Pumpkin Week: An Introduction

In the spirit of the fall season, this week is going to be dedicated to all things pumpkin. This past weekend, H and I were enjoying the fall weather and decided to spend the day pumpkin picking! We got loads of great pumpkins which could only call for one thing, Pumpkin Week. Each post this week will incorporate the pumpkins we picked. Hope you are as pumpkin crazed as I am!

While we were at it, we picked a whole bunch of apples too!

Here is a quick 'How to' for making homemade pumpkin puree. Who needs canned, when you can pick and puree your own pumpkin!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean off your pumpkins and cut off the tops. Cut into quarters.

Scoop out all the seeds and stringy insides.

Place quarters on a baking sheet.

Place in the oven and let cook for 60 minutes. When they have softened so that you can easily pierce with a knife, they are ready to come out.

Let cool completely until you can handle them without burning your hands. Peel the skin off each piece. If it isn't sliding off easily, separate from the insides with a knife.

Place all pumpkin into a large bowl and set aside.

With a few pieces at a time, place pumpkin into a food processor or blender and pulse until pureed.

Store in an airtight container until you are ready to use it. The pumpkin lasts up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. Enjoy your freshly pureed homemade pumpkin.

Special thanks to Mrs. Lippert for this flawless technique!