Homemade Baked Pumpkin Puree

One of the things I love the very most about fall is the fall food. Above all, fall baking. Apples and ginger and cinnamon, and pumpkin. Lots of pumpkin. Which is why I was completely dismayed when I heard that Libby's was having a major canned pumpkin shortage this year! Ack! I cannot survive the next 2 months without pumpkin puree. So I thought a post on making your own pumpkin might come in handy. If you can't find canned pumpkin in the stores, chances are you can find a real pumpkin. And making your own puree is actually really easy and pretty inexpensive. If you can't find either, email me and I'll sell you one of the cans I have for $34.50.    ;)

The best pumpkins for making puree are these little pie pumpkins, or sugar pumpkins. BE SURE before buying (you can ask a worker) that it is a "sugar or pie pumpkin," not just a regular gourd, or carving pumpkin. They are very bitter, and not good at all! In our house, we love to cook them (without pureeing) and eat them with salt and butter. You should be able to find them in the produce section of most grocery stores right now and they're pretty inexpensive.

Start off by cutting out the stem, like you would if you were starting to carve a jack-o-lantern.

 Cut in half down the middle, and dig out the "guts." Scrape the sides (a metal spoon works great) of the pumpkin, so it's smooth.

Lay face-down on a cookie sheet covered with tinfoil.

 Cover completely with foil.

 Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on size of pumpkin. Spoon the pumpkin out (it should come out very easily. If it doesn't, cook it for longer). The pumpkin skins should look like this after scraping it out.

Place pumpkin pulp in a food processor and process until smooth (Or you can just mash it with a fork or potato masher). You can add a little water at this point to get the consistency you want.

 At this point you can use it in any recipe that calls for pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin. Or, you can put in a freezer bag and freeze for future use.

FYI: I used a 2 pound pumpkin and it yielded 1 3/4 cups of puree.

If you choose, you can make pumpkin pie filling. It's delicious! If you choose to continue to make pumpkin pie, follow this recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Mix 1 tsp.nutmeg, 1 tsp. ginger, 1 tsp. salt, 3 cups evaporated milk and 4 eggs (beaten) with the pumpkin puree. Pour mixture into two 9 inch uncooked pie crusts.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate.