Fresh Pumpkin Puree

Only lately have I heard that there are special pumpkins for Halloween and that there are special sugar pumpkins for cooking and baking.  Quite frankly, I didn't know there was a difference.

Sometime during this summer, there was a squash like vine growing by its lonesome in my garden.  I waited to see what would develop and pretty soon one fruit or vegetable emerged.  I nursed it and put a Styrofoam tray under it to keep it from rotting.

Eventually, I had a nice size orange pumpkin to harvest and I proceeded to cut the top off so that I could reach in and pull the seeds out.  I cut up the pumpkin into large chunks and cooked them (with the peel still on) in my big enameled pot.

I cooked the pumpkin until the meat as well as the skin was soft, at least 3 0 - 40 minutes.  I don't remember exactly how long.  When softened, I drained the water out and let the pumpkin cool.  The meat came off so easily and I could mash it, put it into a plastic bag, and store it in the freezer.  My pumpkin yielded about a cup and half of  mashed meat.

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