If you're like me, you grew up learning that you should never waste food: There were starving children the world over. Well, all those Halloween pumpkins are actually food, and people in other parts of the world turn them into all kinds of edibles. Here, most of them go to waste on doorsteps.
If you'd rather not waste that gorgeous pumpkin, and you love pumpkin baked goods, here's good news! You can easily turn a pumpkin into all kinds of treats.
To begin, it's best if you don't carve the pumpkin but decorate it with kid-friendly, washable paints. When it's time to retire the pumpkin from Halloween decoration duty, wash it thoroughly. Dry it. Cut it in half, stem to blossom end. Scrape out all the stringy guts and seeds. Discard those.
Now you'll need parchment paper and one or more cookie sheets, depending on the size of your pumpkin halves. Preheat your oven to 330 degrees F. Line the cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper, set the halves cut side down on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet(s). Using a fork, prick the outer skin in multiple places. Bake the halves for 1 hour 15 min.
Now you'll need a knife, large spoon, potato masher, large bowl, and strainer. Take the halves out of oven. Carefully turn the hot halves over. Using the knife, cross-hatch the inner pulp, but don't cut too deeply or you'll rip the outer skin. This cross-hatching shreds the fibers to make mashing easier.
Scoop the hot pulp into the bowl, leaving the skin behind. Mash the pulp until fine. Spoon pulp into the strainer and let it drain for 10-15 min. Stir occasionally. Discard the liquid.
Now you're ready to freeze your fresh pumpkin. For pie, freeze in 2-cup containers. For breads, use 1 cup. If you like pumpkin pancakes, save in half-cup containers.
There you go, plenty of pumpkin for the holidays!
