Around this time of year fresh pumpkins start to disappear from the grocery shelve stores. If you are like me, you prefer fresh pumpkin rather than canned. In an effort to avoid the canned pumpkin I puree several fresh sweet pumpkins and freeze them for later use. You’ll need to use an edible sweet pumpkin for pies, cakes, and breads. The pumpkins Americans carve for Halloween and the smaller decorative pumpkins are not a good choice for eating.

The recipe and detailed instructions are at the end of this post. For this recipe, all we need is fresh sweet pumpkins. Ready, set, bake…

When picking out pumpkins to puree select ones that are about the same weight and size. When baking the pumpkin if one has a thicker flesh it will take longer to finish. I prefer the small sweet pumpkins, however, there are many varieties of pumpkins suitable for eating.

Use a peering knife to cut around the stem of the pumpkins and remove the stem. Use a sharp heavy knife cut the pumpkin(s) in half vertically. With a large metal, spoon remove the seeds from the halves. The seeds can be saved for roasting or discarded.

Place the pumpkin halves face down on a sheet pan covered with foil. Cover the pumpkin halves with foil. Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes, until the meat of the pumpkin halves are soft and tender. Allow to cool.

Scoop the soft pumpkin into a bowl or blender, the skin will pull away easily, and puree. Portion and freeze for later use or refrigerate for use within the two to three days. I portion 15 ounces at a time, this is the standard volume of canned pumpkin used in most recipes. Frozen Pumpkin puree will last up to four months.