Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

The transition from Thanksgiving decor to Christmas decor involves removing cornucopias, pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn and sheaves of wheat from every surface (and front porch) of my house. Normally I take it all to the compost bin and reap the benefits in the spring, but this year I took another look at what I traditionally compost. My day job is overseeing a farm so I have access to wonderful, chemical free produce - including pumpkins. The majority of my fall decor consisted of pie pumpkins and winter squash; the prospect of composting perfectly good FOOD goes against my support of local food systems and farmers everywhere. Guess how I spent my evening? I "put-up" pumpkin.

This is how I did it - I had two methods going at the same time in order to expedite the process.
Baking Method: Cut the pumpkin in half and discard the stem section and stringy pulp. Save the seeds to dry and roast. In a shallow baking dish, place the two halves face down and cover with foil. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 1 1/2 hours for a medium-sized sugar pumpkin, or until tender. Once the baked pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and puree or mash it. For silky smooth custards or soups, press the pumpkin puree through a sieve.
Microwave Method: Cut the pumpkin in half, discarding the stringy insides. Microwave on high power for seven minutes per pound, turning pieces every few minutes to promote even cooking. process as above.
You can refrigerate your fresh pumpkin puree for up to three days, or store it in the freezer up to six months, enabling you to enjoy fall pumpkins for months to come.

I now have enough pumpkin to keep me going until next fall and the shell and stringy insides have gone to the compost bin. The super-wonderful-added-bonus is - I also have candied pumpkin seeds to enjoy while I put up my Christmas decorations. Yum!