Fall is in the air...

Fall is definitely in the air here in Oregon and the smell of cooking pumpkin is in the kitchen.  The pumpkins are here and this was the first of many pumpkin recipes that will be made this fall.  My dad picked about 20 pumpkins a few days ago and so I decided it was time to start making some delicious pumpkin dishes.  My first project was homemade pumpkin butter.  My friend Katie recommended an excellent recipe.(http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/pumpkin-butter-and-pepita-granola/)  I essentially followed it, but I made my pumpkin puree from scratch.  Thankfully my dad peeled and cleaned out the 20 pumpkins form me.  I then chopped them up and boiled in some water until they were tender.

Once the pumpkin is soft and tender, I threw it in the blender and food processor and pureed it until smooth.

The great thing about this puree is that it can be frozen and used for ANY dish that calls for a can of pureed pumpkin.  There are no spices, so it can be used for a savory dish like a soup or something sweet like a pie.  Once the pumpkin puree was ready I followed the recipe from smittenkitchen.com.

Pumpkin puree with sugar, spices, and apple juice

Cans in a hot water bath  

The final product

**Important Note:  In all of my research for a good pumpkin recipe, I discovered various means of preserving it.  Some recipes suggested a hot water bath.  Others suggest putting in air tight containers and storing in the fridge for up to three weeks or in the freezer up to a year.  According to multiple recipes, the USDA now suggests that you should not traditionally can pumpkin or squash puree.  They say that it is too thick and not enough acidity.   They also say that a hot water bath or pressure cooking doesn't get it hot enough to prevent botulism.  My opinion is that people having been making pumpkin butter for decade. I've had pumpkin butter before and never had any problems.  I guess what I'm trying to say is do what you feel most comfortable with.  

Purple mashed potatoes, biscuit attempt number 2 and more pumpkin recipes to come.

Happy cooking and enjoy the fall!