I am relishing this country living. I was made for this I tell you. I wake in the morning while the mist is still heavily draping the yard. I see the sunrise peaking through the autumn trees making them look aflame in color. I sigh deeply and think to myself, “What a wonderful world.”
The trees are astounding me with their wondrous colors. I drink my cup of tea quietly while I watch out of the window. The turkeys are fond of the fallen apples on the side of the yard and they strut around until they hear me clanging pots in the kitchen. It’s fall. It’s the country. I’m in love.
To that end I think that we really need to discuss the matter of pumpkins. Pumpkins. They are like the backbone of fall, if backbones were round and orange.
You decorate with them, eat them, carve them, throw them at mail boxes (we grew up in a rough neighborhood). Those things are just so orange and round and nifty. And being in New England they are EVERYWHERE. Every store and roadside stand has gobs of these things. So I bought me some.
It is my goal to add more things to my already brimming plate because I am a glutton for punishment. And I have a mad obsession with learning how to homestead and make everything from scratch. So why not make a bunch of puréed pumpkin with a baby on my hip and a toddler digging through the garbage then swinging from the ceiling fan? (Please don’t report me I’m mostlg kidding.)
Here’s how it’s done.
First put a cute apron on your toddler.
Next cut that pumpkin in half length wise, makes for good scooping.
Make sure you buy a sugar pumpkin (also called a pie pumpkin); they really are the best for the job.
Next, enlist the help of a child, any passing child will do. Scrape the seeds and goop (I believe this is the scientific term) with a flat spoon or plastic pumpkin scoop. Scrape the inside till smooth and goo-free. Also, don’t tell Israel that I put this picture of him on the Internet, mkay?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Next, place pumpkin halfs cut side down on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet.
Bake for forty minutes.
They should be fork tender and the skin should be separated from the meat. Allow to cool and the outside will continue to separate from the innards. Once cooled it will be easy to peal away the skin.
If it looks really unappetizing then you’ve done it correctly.
Next place in a blender or food processor because our ancestors used these for their pumpkin purée and I am a purist.
Next, kill that stuff.
Till Jack screams bloody murder at the sound of the blender and you have to wait till his bedtime to finish the job.
I got approximately three cups of pumpkin purée from each pumpkin. An average pumpkin muffin recipe usually calls for about 1 cup of pumpkin purée or a pumpkin pie can be from 1 to 2 cups (depending on the recipe).
I divided the goods into one cup increments and put them into freezer bags to use later.
All done.
Tell me some wondrous pumpkins recipes! And subscribe to my site ! I like exclamation points today (apparently).
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