I don't know about anyone else, but Fall is one of my most favorite times of the year! One of the reasons its my favorite is PUMPKIN! I love all things pumpkin! Pumpkin bread, pumpkin chai tea lattes, pumpkin chili, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cider (that's right, I have recipes for alllll these things and I plan on sharing!).
So when I started getting the pumpkin itch, I checked out the prices on canned pumpkin. I was not thrilled, to say the least. I bought a few cans, but at $1.88 a can (the small ones), I knew it was going to be a budget buster if I bought enough for all my recipes.
The next time I went to the store, they had put those huge bins of pumpkins out in the front of the store. I saw $0.25/lb and I was struck with a brilliant idea! Why don't I make my own pumpkin puree? Now I know what you're thinking. Those are carving pumpkins. Wouldn't they taste funny? Well, I'm here to tell you that they don't!
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| I picked out two small ones, about 6 lbs each and paid $3. |
When I got home, I preheated the oven to 375 F. I cut off the top of the pumpkin to remove the stem and then cut them each in half. I scooped out the guts and saved them to make roasted pumpkin seeds later. I cut each piece in half, so that the pumpkins were in quarters. I laid them on a cookie sheet, no need to be fancy about. I just smooshed them all on there.
After baking for 45-60 minutes, they got nice and soft in the oven. When a fork easily poked through the skin, they were done. After they cooled slightly, I took one section at a time and laid it on a cutting board, skin side up. The pieces will still have a bend to them, which makes it difficult to cut the skin off. I just flatten each section with my hand and then used a sharp knife to cut the skin off.
After removing the skin of 2 or 3 pieces, I tossed them into the food processor. I blended until the mixture looked smooth. I poured it into a big bowl and repeated the whole process until all the sections had been processed.
Since most recipes call for a can of pumpkin, I checked how many cups were in the small can I had left: 1 3/4 cups. So I measured that into small freezer baggies and ended up with 6 baggies worth! That's $0.50/bag and saves $1.38 compared to the price of the small off-brand can! I simply stored them in the freezer and they have kept and defrosted beautifully!
Before I went shouting about my savings from the rooftops, I wanted to make sure it stood the taste test. I wasn't totally sure it would, since the color of my homemade version was considerably lighter than the canned version. Donald decided to try it in a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. We loved them! He took some to work the next day and his co-workers begged him to bring more!
I also noticed that my local Kroger store (Smith's) just lowered their pumpkin prices to $0.18/lb! This actually included their Sugar Pie Pumpkins!! So I grabbed 10 and plan to stock up the freezer with more pumpkin puree for the holidays! I have heard rumors that pumpkin prices drop dramatically after Halloween, so it may be worth stocking up then too!
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