HOW TO COOK A PUMPKIN FOR SOUP AND PUMPKIN PIE

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LEARN HOW TO COOK A PUMPKIN FOR SOUP AND PUMPKIN PIE. I WILL TEACH YOU MY SECRET FOR DICING PUMPKIN AND MAKING SMOOTH, CREAMY PUMPKIN PUREE FOR PUMPKIN PIE.

Pumpkins are an amazingly nutritious food that are so easy to cook for soup and pumpkin pie. We use these fall icons to decorate the farmstead in autumn, then use them for our pumpkin pies and cozy winter soups. Pumpkins are a great food to grow in your garden because they provide excellent nutrition (source) and can be stored for many months without refrigeration. Food security is very important to our family so pumpkins rank high on our list of things to grow in our garden. They are so versatile and can be used for comforting, savory soups or healthy, delicious desserts. The variety of uses for pumpkins and the fact that they can be stored for such long periods of times means we rely heavily on pumpkins from our garden from Thanksgiving through March.

Have I convinced you to grow pumpkins yet?

Cooking your own whole pumpkin is always best because you control the ingredients and it is very cost-effective. Pumpkins are widely available to almost everyone and usually after fall celebrations people are willing to give them away to anyone who asks. This is free food to process into soups and pies and there are so many varieties to choose from. For more information on pumpkin variations, click the following link.

PUMPKIN VARIETY INFORMATION HERE!

A whole pumpkin will have a stem and is usually hollow inside; this is where the pumpkins seeds are located. The area between the outside skin and the hollow area where the seeds are located is the part of the pumpkin you use for food. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten, but because I like to bake the whole pumpkin, I do not scrape out the seeds before I cook the pumpkin, unless I need to save the seeds to plant. Heat will destroy the seeds for planting.

THREE REASONS WHY BAKING A WHOLE PUMPKINS IS BEST

A whole pumpkin is EASY to cook by baking it in an oven.
I find cutting up a pumpkin takes time and it is very hard to cut with a knife.
When you bake a pumpkin it becomes very soft and easy to scrape away from the skin. This makes life easier and you can collect a lot more of the pumpkins pulp.
When you slice and peel a pumpkin there is some loss because it is hard to cut close enough due to the hard skin.
Steaming and boiling pumpkin makes it watery.

Here are some fresh pumpkin recipe ideas:

Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Soup
Use to replace any kind of squash in recipes
Pumpkin Puree
Diced Pumpkin to add to any stir fry
Pumpkin Lattes
Smoothies
Ice Cream
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Bread
Pumpkin-Date Second Ferment Kefir Smoothie

HOW DO YOU PREPARE A PUMPKIN FOR COOKING?

So easy! Just wash the outside of your pumpkin and dry it off, then remove the stem. Also, remember to put a slit in the top of the pumpkin so pressure won’t build up. Please see our video for an example of how to do this.

HOW TO COOK A PUMPKIN FOR SOUP

For soup you may want to dice pumpkin. I bake a whole pumpkin for about 10 minutes or just until you can prick it with a fork. This will soften it enough so you can easily cut and dice it. For me, this is safer because I can use the knife easier.
Remember when you dice the uncooked pumpkin you will need to use it right away or store it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Uncooked diced pumpkin should not be frozen.

This beautiful soup made with fresh, diced pumpkin is a delicious way to use your pumpkin.

HOW TO COOK A PUMPKIN FOR PIE

Pumpkin puree for pie is easy because you cook the whole pumpkin until it is soft all the way through. (No cutting through hard pumpkins).
After cooling, you scrape the pumpkin off of the skin with an ice cream scoop.
Lastly, if you are making pumpkin puree then I urge you to let it drain in a fine mesh colander for several hours. Lining the colander with butter muslin or an unbleached coffee filter will give your optimal results.
Pumpkin puree freezes great. I always freeze my pumpkin puree in glass bowls with lids. Be careful if you freeze it in jars because it may expand and break your jar.
For some reason pumpkin sours very quickly when stored in the refrigerator. If I am not using it the same day I always freeze it.
The slice of pumpkin pie in the photo above has an Einkorn flour pie crust.

THIS METHOD IS THE BEST PUMPKIN PUREE RECIPE

It is best to drain the pumpkin puree because it will make it more dense, leading to a firmer pie. After several hours of draining you can puree the pumpkin in a blender, mash it by hand, or use a mixer with a whisk attachment. The puree is now pumpkin pie ready! Letting the pumpkin drain overnight in the refrigerator works great also. This pumpkin pie is rich, creamy, dense, and absolutely perfect!