Pumpkin Puree

Last week, we used several pumpkins in the classroom as teaching aids. We talked about them, measured them, weighed them, and did all the other fun things that Kindergarteners do. The "funnest" one was when the kids guessed how many seeds were in our big pumpkin. The answers ranged from 1 (no kidding!) to 2 million. 

So since we were so eager to know who won the guessing game, we decided to count the pumpkin seeds. We gave each kid several seeds on a plate to count. Then we added them all up. Needless to say, nobody won. And because the range was so wide, the closest  number was about 300 off. But hey,  they had so much fun and learned some big numbers. That's what counts (no pun intended).

I took one of the small pumpkins home to bake something for the kids. But first, I had to puree the pumpkin! I combined two of my favorite blogs' pumpkin pureeing methods - Peachy's and Ree's. :-)

What you need:

1 pie pumpkin
about a cup of water


What to do:

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Wash the pumpkin and dry. Cut the top off, remove the seeds, then slice the pumpkin into smaller pieces. Don't throw the seeds away - we will turn them into a yummy snack later!

Place the sliced pumpkin pieces in an oven-safe pan. Pour water (at least enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes, or until pumpkins are fork tender. 

Yes, the holes are where I poked them!

Remove the skins by gently peeling off with a knife. If you baked it correctly, the skin would easily peel off.

What a "peel"-ing!

Place peeled pieces in a blender or food processor. Pulse several times until pumpkin is smooth. Transfer to an air-tight container. Voila! Home-made pumpkin puree!

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. You can also bake it without water - just keep an eye on it as it might burn!
2. When pulsing in a food pro, add a teaspoon or two of water if it seems dry.
3. Pureed pumpkins would last for several months in the freezer!