Cooking With Fresh Pumpkins

For anyone who has never cooked pumpkin, it can appear to be a difficult task.  I assure you however, that this is not the case. Fresh pumpkin tastes SO much better than canned! So, here are some ways to cook your fresh pumpkins.

Oven directions:

Cut pumpkin open and scoop out the seeds. Place pumpkin halves facedown in a baking dish. Add 1/2" of water to pan: this helps keep the pumpkin flesh moist.

Bake at 450º until you can pierce the skin with a fork (about 45 minutes to an hour).

Scoop flesh out of shell with a spoon. Puree and use in any pumpkin recipe.

Stovetop directions:

Cut pumpkin in half, scooping out the seeds. Then, cut pumpkin into large chunks, but leave the skin on.

Place chunks in a large steamer basket (or a colander placed inside a dutch oven, with water on the bottom). Steam for 20 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender. 

Scoop flesh out of shell with a spoon. Puree and use in any pumpkin recipe.