Pumpkin Puree

Since we can’t get much ready-made food here, I’ve been pureeing my own pumpkin – my most recent successful food experiment. I’d always heard that real pumpkin tastes better than the canned stuff, and it really does! If you’re up for the adventure it’s not difficult at all, and your pie, bread, muffins, or whatever you’re baking, will taste better and fresher than ever before. Below are the instructions.

1. Buy precut and seeded pumpkin if possible. If not, cut pumpkin in half, remove the stringy fibers by scraping the insides with a metal spoon.
2. Place the pumpkin pieces, or two halves, cut side down in a baking dish, cover with lid or tin foil and bake at 350°F until tender (probably an hour or more depending on how thick your slices are).
3. Put them in a blender with just enough water to blend smooth.
4. Let cool and put pumpkin puree in plastic sacks of two cups each (or however much you want), label, and freeze. Many pumpkin recipes call for two cups of pumpkin puree.