Everything Pumpkin!
In our home, we devour anything pumpkin. If it smells of pumpkin, sign us up! Every year as Autumn approaches, I quickly become excited about all the readily available pumpkins for us to cut, cook, and freeze. My girls and I get such enjoyment out of stocking the freezer full of goodies. It takes a lot of hands on deck to feed this crew and therefore it definitely makes us smile when the efforts put forth are appreciated.
In these photos, our daughter has cut open the pumpkin, scooped out the membranes, and cut the pumpkin into small sections.
To the right in picture 5, you can see the sections she placed in the instant pot. It fits so nice and tight. It only takes 11 minutes to be fully cooked and because of the saving of time, we cooked and froze 4- 10 lb. pumpkins that day.
Once it is cooked, I place it in a large stainless steel bowl to let it cool before peeling the skin loose. (picture 6)
Once the skin is peeled and discarded, place the pumpkin in a blender or food processor to puree. We use freezer bags to store the puree and place flat in our deep freeze. It is simple, cheap, and a quick way to get pumpkin in your recipes.
My favorite part of harvesting is seeing the excitement in the children’s eyes after a hard days work of getting the job done. The conversations surrounding the kitchen on these kinds of days are priceless and irreplaceable. There is also a sense of knowing they helped provide nourishment and wellness to the family. Jason and I desire to provide an environment for all of our kids to learn so they may be able to have a variety of skills under their belt when they take flight. This is just one way to encourage diligence, planning ahead, and preparing healthy eating for the ones you love most.
Natalie