Cook Fresh Pumpkin

It's easy to make your own pureed pumpkin that you can keep in the freezer for soups and pies.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds and strings. (You can save and dry the seeds to plant next year!)
3. For large pumpkins, slice in to wedges (like a cantalope) and place the pieces on the baking sheet. For small pumpkins you can just put the two halfs face down on the sheet.
4. Bake for about 35 minutes.  Check to see if the pumpkin is tender - if not give it another ten minutes and check again.
5. When it is done, set it out and let it cool for about half an hour. Scrape pulp from rind.
6. Either mash the pumpkin with a potato masher, or put in in a food processor and puree it.
7. Put in plastic containers and freeze. Divide into 16 oz portions and it will match the canned quantity. Use as you would the canned kind but this tastes soooo much better.  Yours truly. Marcia Brennan