Packing Up Your Pumpkins - Don't Through them Out!
Packing Up Pumpkins
Canned pumpkin puree has gotten really expensive as of late. My last price check was $1.20 for a 15oz can. To me, that's crazy! Pumpkin is so easy and inexpensive to make yourself, why would you ever buy it in the can for that much??? With Halloween just ending, pumpkins are everywhere and chances are you have a few that you could set aside for winter.
Each year around this time, I take my pumpkins left over from Halloween, bake them, peal them, and puree them. Then I put 2 cups of puree into zipper bags and freeze it. 2-3 pumpkins is all I need to get me through the year when Halloween comes again. It's a super easy way to get what you need from what you already have.
If you don't what to risk the freezer space, dry your pumpkin like you would fruit leather. Dry it until it is brittle, then turn it into powder in your food processor. Then is shelf safe and can be used in any recipe that calls for pumpkin...pies, cookies, cakes, soups, stews, etc. Mary Ann is just putting the finishing touches on her 2nd Edition Just Add Water Book in which she has added how to make and use pumpkin powder, and several delicious recipes to use with it. (PRE-ORDER YOU COPY HERE)
PUMPKIN ALTERNATIVES
If you find you are short on pumpkin and short on money, use one of these great alternatives...that's right! I said pumpkin alternatives. You may be shocked and a little bit intrigued to know that BEANS make the perfect pumpkin alternative. It's true! My family loves pumpkin pie, but I can
totally fool them by using an alternative such as, soybean, navy bean or sweet
potato paste. By adding the same
seasonings that you do in your favorite recipe, the beans and potatoes imitate
pumpkin perfectly and provide a great gluten free alternative if you need one. Here’s what you do:
Beans: (Check out my Cooking & Using Beans Book for more great recipes.)
- Soak your beans overnight to soften them and release the simple sugar that causes gas.
- Drain and rinse the beans
- Add 3 cups of water for each cup of beans.
- Cook in a pressure cooker, on top of the stove, or in a crockpot until soft and tender.
- Drain the beans, but save the water.
Place the beans in a blender and blend until a
smooth paste. Add bean juice (the water from the cooking
process) a little at a time, until the beans have the same consistency as
pumpkin.- Substitute the same amount of bean paste for the amount of pumpkin called for in the recipe.
Sweet Potatoes:
If you are using canned sweet potatoes; drain the can and
save the juice. Blend the potatoes
adding enough juice to make a paste the same consistency as pumpkin. Substitute the sweet potatoes for the amount
of pumpkin called for in the recipe.
Because sweet potatoes have the same color and similar flavor to
pumpkin, they can be interchanged in any recipe calling for pumpkin without
adding additional spices.
If you are using fresh sweet potatoes; scrub the outside and
bake them in a 350 degree oven until soft.
Skin the potatoes while they are still warm and blend them until
smooth. You might have to add a little
water during the blending process to moisten them if they are too dry. Substitute the sweet potatoes in any recipe
calling for pumpkin.
Here's my family's favorite pumpkin pie recipe using bean paste.
Bean Paste Pumpkin Pie Filling
| 1 1/2 C. Navy Bean, Soybean, or Sweet Potato Paste 2 eggs 3/4 C. Sugar 1/2 t. Salt 1 2/3 C. Evaporated Milk (13 oz Can) | 1 3/4 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice OR1 t. Cinnamon 1/2 t. Ground Ginger 1/4 t. Ground Cloves |
For other great pumpkin recipes to try with these alternatives check out these fun blogs:
Tags: pumpkin fall recipe
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