It’s that time of year pumpkins, decorations, leaves, fall cooking and much more. We went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend and I picked a couple extra pumpkins specifically for baking with. I wanted to make pumpkin bread as my sister has the best recipe known to man and I figured fresh pumpkin would make it even better, if that’s even possible.

If you have pumpkins lying around your house, when you are done with them make sure and use them before you toss them. Make the puree and freeze if you are not ready to cook/bake with them yet. It freezes very well and they lay flat in the freezer taking up minimal space.

Directions:

Cut the pumpkin stem off and scoop out all the seeds; save the seeds and bake them for a healthy snack.

Cut in half and than quarters to make smaller pieces to fit on a baking sheet. Do not add an Olive oil if you want the purest form of puree.

Bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes.

Let cool for 30 minutes and peel off the skin before it cools completely.

In a food processor add the chunks of pumpkin and puree; if it’s too thick add 1/4 cup of water at a time until you get a smooth base.

Spoon mixture into quart size plastic bags with 2 cups in each bag. This way you know exactly the amount per bag when thawing for cooking. Makes very good soups, muffins and breads.