Don't throw those decorative pumpkins away!

I love to decorate my porch in LA for Fall with a bounty of pumpkins and Winter squash. This year some nasty (I'm assuming) teenage boys decided to hurl my pumpkins off my porch to my driveway, 1 story below, and smashed them to smithereens! I spent the next few days plotting evil revenge but fortunately never brought it to fruition!
A few days later, when I arrived back at our Nor Cal apartment, I had discovered that the Producer had decorated our little apartment doorstep with some pumpkins. Super cute!

When I went out to the ranch, where he spends the better the better part of the day, I discovered that they had cleared the ranch garden of all squash and gourds and displayed them at the produce stand

The groovy thing is, if it's on the stand it's for the taking with an honor donation. Yahoo! I took a few more small pumpkins to bake and puree to make all sorts of delicious things from.
This glut of pumpkins inspired me to encourage you to also make your own puree.
Here's how (this will sound familiar!)
Preheat your oven to 350F
Cut your pumpkins in half along the meridian, not the equator.  Place them on a Silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes. You should smell the delicious carmely smell and a knife should  insert into the pumpkin without resistance. Remove the seeds if you haven't already. Scoop the baked flesh into a food processor. A blender will also work for smaller batches. Puree until smooth. Freeze in 1 c. portions in freezer bags. You can keep it in the freezer easily for 6 months.

In the upcoming weeks I will be sharing some pumpkin recipes and now you will have some puree on hand. If you are reading this before Thanksgiving, I use the puree for my pies. If your puree seems watery, line a fine mesh sieve with a coffee filter and pour the puree in.  Set in the sink and allow some of the liquid to drain out.

Enjoy! 

XO MamaP