Pumpkin Madness!

These pumpkins are a big blessing from Thanksgiving week. I have been admiring a neighbor's decorative pumpkins on their porch all fall. On Thanksgiving I wrote a Happy Thanksgiving note and politely mentioned that if they didn't have any plans for their pumpkins after the harvest season I would enjoy cooking them. Of course, I offered to bring them a pie or pumpkin bars in return.

Our neighbor messaged me replying that she would be happy to give me the pumpkins and would be glad that they wouldn't go to waste. I was so excited!

The next morning I used our wagon to transport the pumpkins home. I think there were 9 pumpkins total. It took me two trips.

Then I set to cutting them open and scooping out the seeds. 

My preferred method for processing pumpkin is to cut them in half, place the halves face down on a baking sheet and roast in the oven and 350°F. for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until soft. I don't add any water to the pan or foil or anything. Just pumpkin halves face down on a pan for an hour, give or take. Do use a baking sheet with sides because the pumpkin will release a fair amount of water. 

Once the pumpkin is soft I let it cool until imt is cool enough to handle. Then I scoop out all the flesh and scrape the skin clean. I puree the pulp in a blender. Then package the pureed pumpkin into labeled bags and freeze them.

I couldn't get them all cooked in one day so I had to fill my fridge with pumpkin halves for a couple days. The smell was unexpectedly poignant. I had not been aware that raw pumpkin smelled spicy. The scent is faint enough that I have never noticed it with just a few pumpkins but it adds up the more pumpkins you have cut open. The best way to describe the spicy smell is like pickles fermented in a crock. Crazy, I know! 

I had so many different varieties of pumpkin to experiment with with; blue, orange, white and squatty. I wanted to keep the flesh separated and taste test them and judge the texture and flavor. Blue pumpkin is my all time favorite. The white pumpkin was my least favorite.

Here is how I would describe the different varieties:

Blue: Very Good! The flesh is dense and creamy in texture and the flavor is sweet and nutty. 

White: (white) Uck! The flesh was quite loose and watery in texture and the flavor was very vegetal and earthy.

Jack-o'-lantern: Good. The flesh was loose and watery in texture and the flavor was typical grocery store pumpkin flavor; a little perfume-y and a little squash-y.

Cinderella Style: Quite Good. The flesh held together and blended smoothly and the flavor was pumpkin forward with barely a hint of the spiciness.

Tan: Quite Good! The flesh was open and and loose in texture and the flavor was typical pumpkin with very strong floral notes.

In the upcoming posts I hope to share my delicious Pumpkin Bar recipe (it comes from my mom) and how I roast all the seeds.