I’m a big fan of pumpkin, and pumpkin pie is probably Michael favorite food, although it may be tied with peanut butter, so every year, I get pie pumpkins and cook them down for pies and various pumpkin goodies throughout the year

I picked up pumpkins several weeks ago, but didn’t get to cook them down until today, which meant that one of them had gone bad in the interim. Luckily, it’s still early, so I can pick up more pumpkins next week if need be.

Here’s my method for cooking down pumpkin to freeze.

Cut the pumpkins in half.

Scoop out the insides, including the strings.

Bake at 200 F until soft.

If the pumpkins have been cooked enough, you can peel the skin off with your fingers.

While I’m cutting, I simmer the sliced pumpkin pieces in a steamer basket to keep them hot and make sure they’re nice and soft.

Once all the pumpkins are peeled and cut into manageable pieces, they’re put in the food processor in batches and pureed.

Because I’m not using the pumpkin immediately, I put the puree into a pot to keep it hot.

Then I divide the pumpkin into 2 cup portions, place it in freezer bags, and I’m good to go with pumpkin for the winter.