Making Pumpkin Puree

Last year was my first year at making homemade pumpkin pie,by which I mean making the pie with pumpkin grown here and not from a can. :)

Pumpkin puree is pretty easy,though it can take a while to make,depending on how many pumpkins you are trying to process at once. I had two Sugar Pumpkins.

1) Wash the pumpkins.Cut the pumpkin into quarters. If you cannot do this yourself(like me) you can enlist the help of a strong man (like me).Then,cut the quarters in half so the sections are smaller.

2)Scoop out the seeds and guts.

3)Fill a microwaveable bowl with about 2" of water,and place as many pumpkin slices as will fit into the bowl.The less you fill it,the quicker the pieces will soften up.

4)Cover the bowl,and put in the microwave on high for about 20 minutes or so.The rind should come off fairly easily. I peeled it off ,or you can use a fork to scrape the flesh away from the rind. Cut the pieces up so they will fit into a food processor.

My food processor suggested level 10,and in no time it was a puree.

It took me about an hour and half to nuke,peel,and puree all the pumpkin pieces I had. As each batch was pureeing,I would weigh out 15 oz batches,since 15 oz is the standard pumpkin pie can size. In all,I made 5 batches,each in their own freezer bag,which I immediately put in the freezer for future use.

Enjoy!