Christine Patrick, County Extension EFNEP Agent
The deep orange color of pumpkin flesh is a sure sign that pumpkin is a good source of Vitamin A. A one-half-cup serving of cooked pumpkin contains more than 100 percent of the required vitamin A and 26 calories. Pumpkin seeds are high in protein and fat. For pie filling and other cooking needs, select sugar pumpkins — a smaller, sweeter variety with close-grained flesh.
The easiest way to prepare the pulp of pumpkins or hard winter squashes is to bake them in the oven. To do so, wash the pumpkin or squash and cut it in half crosswise. Remove its seeds and strings. Place the halves in a pan, shell side up. Bake in a 325 °F oven for one hour or more until the flesh becomes tender and begins to fall apart. Scrape the pumpkin or squash from the shell and put it through a ricer or food processor to form a smooth consistency. The pulp may be frozen for use later, but the pureed pulp cannot be safely canned.
Pumpkin and winter squash should have a hard rind and string-less, mature pulp of ideal quality for cooking fresh. Small pumpkins (sugar or pie varieties) make better products. Winter squash varieties include acorn, banana, buttercup, butternut, golden delicious, and Hubbard. CAUTION—Spaghetti squash will not stay cubed when cooked and must be frozen instead of canned.
Wash, remove seeds, cut into 1-inch slices, and peel. Cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes. Add to a saucepot of boiling water, and boil for two minutes. CAUTION—Do not mash or puree.
Pack hot cubes into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Fill the jar to 1 inch from the top with boiling cooking liquid. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process in a dial-gauge pressure canner at 11 pounds pressure (12 pounds pressure between 2,001–4,000 feet) OR in a weighted-gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (15 pounds if above 1,000 ft. altitude). Process pints for 55 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes. To make pies using canned pumpkin, drain liquid from jars and strain or sieve cubes.
Freezing: Select full-colored mature pumpkin and squash with fine texture and a hard rind. Wash and prepare as instructed above to cook in the oven. Or, wash, remove seeds, and cut into cooking-size sections. Then cook until soft in boiling water, in steam, or a pressure cooker. Remove pulp from rind and mash. (For spaghetti squash, mashing the cooked pulp is not necessary.) To cool, place the pan with pumpkin or squash in cold water and stir occasionally. To freeze, cool the pumpkin first by placing the pan of cooked pumpkin in ice-cold water and stirring occasionally. Place cooled puree into freezer containers or freezer bags, leaving ½-inch headspace, and freeze.
Enjoy pumpkin seeds by drying and then roasting them as follows: To dry, carefully wash pumpkin or squash seeds to remove the clinging fibrous tissue. Seeds can be dried in a dehydrator at 115 to 120 °F for 1 to 2 hours, or in an oven on warm for 3 to 4 hours. Stir them frequently to avoid scorching. To roast, take dried seeds, toss them with oil and/or salt, and roast them in a preheated oven at 250 °F for 10 to 15 minutes.
For more information about pumpkins and winter squash, vhttps://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/expert-tip-considerations-for-a-fall-cover-crop/isit the Home & Garden Information Center website.
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