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How to Harvest & Process Fresh Pumpkin

September 7, 2018

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For the longest time I’ve had an irrational fear of processing pumpkins.  It just seemed overwhelming.  How would I cut them?  Why did the guts have to be so gross to deal with?

Then as pumpkin puree climbed to $4 a can, I decided enough was enough.

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree.  I'll show you how to make it.  Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

In May, I planted one pie pumpkin plant and it produced 8 small pumpkins.  I was thrilled.  I harvested them in September before the early frost, and they ripened beautifully in time for use as Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations.

With Halloween over, it was time to take the plunge.  The first surprise was that it was actually very easy to cut them open.  I didn’t even have to warm them up in the microwave.

Related: Easy Pumpkin and Succulent decoration

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree.  I'll show you how to make it.  Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

Side note: In order for the pumpkin to be easy to open, you must use a variety that is meant for baking.  Pumpkins meant for jack-o-lanterns will have a much thicker skin and be harder to cut open.

I removed the seeds with a tablespoon and saved them for another project.

Related: 3 Ways to Make Delicious Pumpkin seed snacks

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree.  I'll show you how to make it.  Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

Cut, Remove the Pumpkin Seeds, and Cook

I lined up the pumpkin halves on my baking sheet and cooked them at 375 for around an hour.  Your times will vary depending on the size of your pumpkins.  When I could easily stick a fork in them and the thiner ones were starting to slightly break apart, I declared them done and took them out to cool completely.

Related: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree.  I'll show you how to make it.  Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

Add Water and Blend

I don’t have a food processor or particularly large blender, so I roughly broke up the pieces by hand, added 1/2 cup of water, and used my immersion blender.  If you are using a larger blender, you don’t have to add the water, but I was concerned about overwhelming the motor of mine.

Not sure what to do with the vegetables you’ve grown this year?  Get my 4-page cheat sheet below to help you out.

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree.  I'll show you how to make it.  Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

Pumpkin Puree with Little Effort

I ended up processing four batches and got 13 bags of pumpkin with 1 1/2 to 2 cups each in them.  (Sorry friends, I’m just not a huge fan of measuring!!  I admire those of you who are!!)  If one bag=1 can of store puree, the savings is $52.  Not bad for something that takes about an hour of actual work.  (I’m not counting the time in the oven.)

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree.  I'll show you how to make it.  Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

My son is a super picky eater because of his sensory issues, and pumpkin is one of the few vegetables that I can generally hide in something he does eat like pancakes or bread.  If you only use pumpkin in one or two recipes a year, just buy a can.  But if you use it more often like I do and enjoy doing this kind of stuff, then growing and processing the pumpkins is worth the savings.

Would you give this a try?  If you have any tips or tricks, please share!  I’m super excited to post the other two pumpkin posts coming up in the next week or so.

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree.  I'll show you how to make it.  Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

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Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

11 Comments
Filed Under: DIY, Gardening, Harvest, Outdoor Life, Simple & Easy Tagged: garden produce, harvest, processing, pumpkin, puree

About Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

Comments

  1. Cheryl says

    November 3, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    Or buy them cheaply around Halloween . Thanks for the info, I bought one and will freeze the pulp for later.
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      November 3, 2016 at 1:51 pm

      That's an excellent idea!
      Reply
  2. Melanie says

    November 3, 2016 at 1:05 pm

    Looks great! Craxy question... did you peel the pumpkins or puree peel with? Last year I did this but didn't leave peel in and the color was not as nice as yours looks!
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      November 3, 2016 at 1:51 pm

      I left the peels on to bake, then peeled them after they cooled. Was your colour too light or too dark? You should also know that I edit almost all of my pictures, so the orange may have been boosted a bit in the editing process.
      Reply
  3. Janice says

    November 3, 2016 at 4:05 pm

    I cut my pumpkin in half, more or less, removed the seeds. Then cut it into strips, used a potatoe peeler to remove the skin - super easy!! - and the last of the strings that were clinging to the pumpkin, and roughly cubed it into the slow cooker Added maybe a cup of water. Set it on high for two or three hours. I dumped it into a sieve, (ate a bunch of it with butter and salt and pepper) and then ran it through the food processor. Ended up with about 2 1/2 cups, would have been significantly more if I hadn't eaten it like I would squash. It was tasty!!
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      November 4, 2016 at 12:35 pm

      That also sounds super easy! I'll have to try that method with my last pumpkin that I'm still using as a photo prop.
      Reply
  4. Nikky says

    October 10, 2019 at 9:38 pm

    So, I had my first garden ever, this year, and I planted packets of seeds with the mindset of “I’ll probably kill most of my plants, so if I plant a WHOLE packet of seeds, Ill have at least one plant of each veggie survive”... yeah, they ALL survived. So I am stuck with about 80 pie pumpkins... yay! With that being said, I know how to purée and preserve the pumpkins, but do you have any favorite recipes?
    Reply
  5. Sharon says

    November 11, 2019 at 11:36 am

    I ended up with ten large jack o lantern pumpkins this year. I have been out of town a lot so they are still in my garden. Can they be harvested the same as pie pumpkins?
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      November 11, 2019 at 6:21 pm

      Yes. The flesh might be a bit more watery, but you can still make puree with them.
      Reply
  6. Paulette Calloway says

    December 1, 2019 at 9:47 pm

    Did you can the pulp or freeze it? I have done this and I use the disposable 2 cup containers and freeze it. The recipe I use for cookies calls for 2 cups of pulp.
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      December 7, 2019 at 1:02 am

      I froze the pulp. The only way you could can it is if you have a pressure canner.
      Reply

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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

Recent Posts

  • How to Make a Tempting Christmas Cookie Tray (Plus Recipes!)
  • Cranberry Butter Tarts
  • 10 Easiest Annual Cut Flowers to Grow From Seed and 2 to Avoid
  • Why Won’t My Christmas Cactus Bloom? (And What to Do About it)
  • The Best Companies to Purchase Cut Flower Seeds for your Backyard Flower Farm

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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Instagram post 2196671569572144940_2204272319 The Christmas baking tray wouldn't be complete without a batch of butter tarts! (Well, at least in Canada 🍁. . . )  I personally love butter tarts with or without nuts or raisins, but I think I love this cranberry version the best of all.⁠
⁠
I'm curious, are you team plain, nuts, raisins, or cranberry butter tart?⁠
⁠
Whatever version you choose, I love making butter tarts because they look fancy, but they're super fast and easy to make--perfect for those who don't do a lot of baking the rest of the year.⁠
⁠
Here's the recipe. . . ⁠
⁠
1/2 cup butter ⁠
1 beaten egg⁠
1 cup brown sugar ⁠
1 tbsp flour⁠
1 tsp vanilla⁠
2 tbsp cream⁠
1 cup dried cranberries ⁠
16 tart pastry shells⁠
⁠
Combine all ingredients (except shells) into a med high pot. Stir until combined and melted and remove from heat when boiled. Fill tart shells. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool and serve.
Instagram post 2195916441484264107_2204272319 The 12 Days of Christmas Baking: Day 9⁠
⁠
You know what is always one of the first things to go on the baking trays?  Anything with cream cheese.  These mocha mint cheesecake bites will help keep you awake at the party, and be a hit with your guests.⁠
⁠
1 box of oreos (36 cookies),⁠
1/2 cup melted butter,⁠
2 envelopes powdered whip topping,⁠
1/2 cup milk,⁠
1/2 cup cold brew coffee⁠
2 bricks cream cheese⁠
4 crushed candy canes⁠
Instructions⁠
⁠
Pulse Oreo cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Stir in melted butter and distribute amongst two lined muffin tins.⁠
Whip two envelopes of powdered whip topping with milk and cold brew coffee. Do not substitute regular whipping cream or all coffee with the powdered whip topping--it will not work!! Set aside.⁠
Whip cream cheese with a small amount of the whipped cream mixture until smooth. Add in the rest of the whipped cream mixture. Spoon overtop of oreo mixture.⁠
Crush four candy canes and sprinkle on top. Crushed Coffee Crisp tastes great too!⁠
⁠
P.S. If you don't like coffee, just replace the cold brew coffee with more milk. ⁠
P.P.S. If you don't have cold brew coffee on hand, brew regular coffee at twice the regular strength.
Instagram post 2195191325988479835_2204272319 DAY 8:  12 Days of Christmas Baking⁠
⁠
Let's take a small break from recipes today and discuss what makes a good baking tray.  The key is in the mix, and in the decor.  The goal of the baking tray is to be as appealing to as many people as possible.  Aim for 4-7 different types of baking.  I personally like to have the following types of goodies in mine: ⁠
⁠
✅One decorated cookie, like gingerbread or sugar cookies⁠
✅One chocolate-based item⁠
✅One item that contains jam or fruit⁠
✅One square⁠
✅Shortbread or one shortbread-based goodie⁠
✅One kid-friendly item⁠
and finally, if no one who will be eating the tray has any allergies. . .⁠
✅One thing that contains nuts⁠
⁠
You want to have a variety of different flavours and textures so that you keep your guests coming back for more.  And yes, I may have over-thought this a little bit!⁠
⁠
What's that one thing you hope will be on a baking tray?⁠
⁠
I always go for the shortbread!⁠
⁠
#bakingtray #christmasbaking #dainties #bakingaddition #bakinglover #bakinglovers #thefeedfeedbaking #christmastraditions
Instagram post 2194827779875063954_2204272319 This is me about three-almost-four years ago.  I had just done an interview for a self-love blog by @naomizurv . I was at an interesting place in my life because I was starting this blog, we had finally received Dominic’s Autism diagnosis, and my husband and I had decided that as much as we wanted more kids, it seemed we were destined to be a family of three.  This picture (and interview) was all about accepting life as it was and choosing to make the best of it.  Most of the time I was very happy, but there were times where acceptance only got me so far.  Friends kept having second and third babies, and while I was happy for them, I was sad for me.  Then last February—almost 7 years since Dominic was born—-we had our miracle second baby.  This May, we’ll be having a third surprise miracle baby. 
I’ve been really struggling with breaking the news on social.  While I am over-the-moon to be a Mom for the third time, I also keenly remember the woman in this photo who would have cried and felt bad for a week if I heard this news about someone else.  I also feel like every time I tell people about this pregnancy, they look at me like I’m crazy or are kind of making fun of me.  Just because this was not the timing I would have picked doesn’t mean this baby is any less special, loved, or fiercely wanted.  And while I’m very nervous about handling two babies 15 months apart, I know that it will be worth it to hold my baby I never even dared to dream of.

So there.  I’ve spilled the beans.  Now maybe I can show my face on social media again.  But if not, you know I’m just over here trying to wrap my head around some very big (and good!!) life changes.
Instagram post 2194466595210828187_2204272319 DAY 7: 12 days of Christmas Baking⁠
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So why am I showing you cinnamon buns that aren't cooked?  To prove how much delectable sauce will be at the bottom of this version. . . obviously. 😉⁠
⁠
You can make this cinnamon bun recipe the night before, then set it in the fridge to rise overnight.  Then all you have to do in the morning is heat the oven, cook the cinnamon buns while everyone is unwrapping presents, and they'll be fresh, hot, and ready by the time you're done.⁠
⁠
I also like to save a bit of the sauce and pour it over the cinnamon buns right when they come out of the oven.⁠
⁠
Ingredients:⁠
1 tbsp yeast,⁠
1 tbsp sugar,⁠
1 cup warm water,⁠
2 eggs,⁠
5 cups flour,⁠
pinch of salt,⁠
cinnamon for sprinkling,⁠
brown sugar for sprinkling,⁠
1/2 cup melted butter for rolls,⁠
1 cup cream,⁠
1 cup brown sugar,⁠
1 cup butter.⁠
⁠
Instructions:⁠
⁠
Dissolve sugar in warm water and add yeast. Let sit for ten minutes. Whisk in two eggs. Add flour one cup at a time and mix with dough hook. Add in the pinch of salt with one of your cups of flour. Do not add in the salt before the flour, as it can make the yeast less effective. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled. If it is cold outside, let rise in an oven that has been warmed up and turned off.⁠
⁠
To make sauce, combine the cream, brown sugar, and butter in a sauce pan and mix until combined. Do not boil.⁠
⁠
When the dough has doubled, punch down and divide into 4 smaller balls. Roll out into a rectangle. Spread over some of the melted butter. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up and cut into pieces with a string (as shown in the photo above). Set in a greased pie plate or casserole dish and pour in some sauce. Reserve a bit of sauce for drizzling at the end. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Drizzle with reserved sauce and enjoy!⁠
⁠
#christmasbaking #holidaybaking #cinnamonbuns #theeverygirlbakes #homesteadingskills #urbanhomesteadskills #bakingaddiction #bakinglover
Instagram post 2193741846005217737_2204272319 DAY 6: 12 Days of Christmas Baking⁠
⁠
Today's recipe requires a little more time, but it's the weekend, so you can do it!  This recipe is what my family lovingly refers to as Hutzelbrot.  It's some sort of combination of 3 different German Christmas breads--if you want the full story you'll have to hop on the blog and read about the research I did.  Like many of my family recipes, it's roots are German, but it definitely got North-Americanized along the way.  Anyway.⁠
⁠
It's better than fruitcake and delicious as a breakfast bread.  I didn't really like it as a kid, but now that I'm an adult I gobble it up like there's no tomorrow.⁠
⁠
Ingredients⁠
⁠
2 1/2 cups dried fruit such as peaches, pears, apples, figs, apricots, prunes, cranberries, or currants.⁠
1/2 cup of raisins⁠
5 1/4 cups unbleached white flour⁠
1/2 cup warm water⁠
1 1/2 tbsp dry yeast⁠
1/2 tsp sugar or honey⁠
1 cup liquid from cooking fruit⁠
1 tsp cinnamon⁠
1 tsp salt⁠
1 tsp grated lemon or orange peel⁠
1/2 tsp ground cloves⁠
1/4 cup honey⁠
1/2 cup melted butter⁠
Instructions⁠
⁠
Boil all fruit except raisins. Drain and set one cup of liquid aside for use in the bread recipe.⁠
Combine sugar, yeast and 1/2 cup warm water and let yeast rise for 10 minutes.⁠
Put all ingredients in a mixer and mix with a dough hook until the dough makes a nice soft ball. You can mix by hand, but it is very difficult dough to work with and don't recommend it for beginners.⁠
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This can range from 1-2 hours depending on the humidity level where you live.⁠
Punch down and shape into loaves. Place in greased bread pans and poke holes in the top with a fork. Let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour.⁠
Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, or 25-30 minutes if you use smaller loaf pans.⁠
Notes⁠
⁠
Rising times vary greatly depending on how much humidity is in the air on baking day. Even though the recipe takes a long time, most of that is spent impatiently waiting for the dough to rise.
Instagram post 2193017018314283996_2204272319 DAY 5: 12 days of Christmas Baking ⁠
⁠
Shortbread is one of my favourite Christmas treats, but whenever I made it I would always mess it up.  The first time I tried to replace the butter with margarine. . . bad idea.  Another time, I chose a three ingredient recipe that was so crumbly it wasn't worth eating.  Then I found this recipe and everything was better!! Until 2 Christmas's ago when I went to Jamaica and decided to make them for my new relatives.  Hot and humid country + different butter= cookies that were a complete disaster.  However, we didn't throw them away and someone served them when everyone came to visit the condo we rented.  I was mortified, but my brother-in-law's family loved them, as they had never experienced North American style baking.⁠
⁠
Moral of the story?  Don't make these in a tropical-weather country.  But even if they flop, they're still really delicious!⁠
⁠
1 cup corn starch,⁠
1 cup icing sugar,⁠
2 cups flour,⁠
1 1/2 cups butter, softened⁠
Instructions⁠
⁠
Mix all ingredients and spoon on to a cookie sheet.⁠
Optional: chill for 30 minutes and roll out for a cut cookie⁠
Apply sprinkles or cherries before baking⁠
Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes. Cookies should have the barest hint of light brown at the edges. Makes 48 small cookies⁠
⁠
If you want the cookies to look like this, skip the sprinkles and the cherries and bake them plain instead.  Once everything has cooled, dip cookies in melted white chocolate and sprinkles.
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