Halloween has passed, alas, and we have started that long slide in towards the holidays.  Yesterday at the grocery store, the manager came over the PA system and announced FREE PUMPKINS being given away at the front of the store.  I guess the market for big Halloween pumpkins is pretty weak by November 3^rd!

I could not pass up the offer of free ANYTHING at the grocery store!  And I figured, worst case scenario, I could cut the pumpkin up and feed it to my chickens. Once at home, I fired up my Google skills and went to work.

What Is A Halloween Pumpkin?

As you probably already know, those big orange beauties at the grocery store are not the kind of pumpkin you would ordinarily use for pie.  Pie pumpkin varieties are smaller, sweeter, and often a brownish color.  However, Halloween pumpkins are perfectly edible, and can be prepared just like any other winter squash.

The classic Halloween pumpkin is a Cucurbita winter squash, typically a cultivar of C. pepo, C. maxima, C. mixta, or C. moschata, depending on the region where the pumpkin is grown.  As a Cucurbita, it is closely related to other familiar winter squashes, including butternut, hubbard, acorn and all the other interesting multicolored squash you end up pawing through at that giant bin in the produce section. 

The most obvious thing to do with a Halloween pumpkin is to roast the seeds.  The easiest way to separate the seeds from the stringy goop is to drop the whole mess into a large bowl filled with water.  Pick up a handful of guts and chafe it between your hands underwater, and the seeds will easily come loose.

Depending on how you like your pumpkin seeds, you will next want to do a prep stage.  I like my pumpkin seeds extra-crispy, so I lay them out on a towel to air dry for two days.  If you like your seeds tender, you can roast them right away.  You can also boil your seeds before roasting them, to give them a toothsome quality.

Roasting the seeds is simple.  Lay them out on a cookie sheet and roast at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, stirring them halfway through.  I like to roast mine simply, with olive oil and lots of salt.  You can add any seasoning you like – popular choices include sweet (brown sugar and cinnamon) and savory (butter and Worcestershire sauce).

Once you have scraped out all of the guts, you will want to scrub the exterior of the pumpkin to get any residual dirt off.  Next, cut it into chunks about three inches square.  Now you have two basic options: eat it as is, or cook it down into a puree.

To eat your pumpkin as is, use it as a substitute in any squash recipe.  I like to roast my squash in the oven with a bit of olive oil and salt, 350 degrees for about an hour.  You can also add a bit of brown sugar in place of the salt, if you want a sweeter pumpkin side dish.

If you want to use your pumpkin for pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, or pumpkin soup, you will need to turn it into a puree.  Canned pumpkin is in puree form, so once you have pureed your pumpkin, you can use it as you would canned.

There are two steps to making pumpkin puree: cooking it until it is soft, then blending or mashing it into a paste.  To cook the pumpkin, you can either boil, microwave, or roast it.  Personally I prefer roasting, because it caramelizes the sugars in the pumpkin and gives it a wonderful taste.

Once it has been cooked until the meat is soft, let it cool for several hours until it is safe to handle.  If you cooked it well enough, it will be relatively easy to peel off the rind.  Compost the pumpkin rind, then mash the meat into a puree or paste.  A food processor makes this job easy!  I don’t have one, so I use a fork.  You may need to add liquid to your puree to get it the right consistency – choose whatever liquid you will be using in the recipe.  (Don’t add chicken stock if you’re planning to make pumpkin pie, for example!)

And finally, enjoy!  Pumpkin is delicious, seasonal, and chock full of nutrients.