Because I detest canned pumpkin
I don’t know when my hatred of canned pumpkin began, but it must have started a long time ago…perhaps around the same time of my animosity towards Circus Peanuts.
Maybe it was the first time I saw the dark orange glob, a gelatinous terror from the utter Stygian recesses of space, which emerged from the deceptively happily labeled can with a sickening “Schhhhlooorrp” that could turn the strongest person’s stomach.
From that day whence, I swore to never use canned pumpkin. What follows is a recipe to make your own pumpkin puree from fresh pie pumpkins. It may appear daunting, but I hope that I can transfer my wisdom (?) and experience so that you can free yourself from the Lovecraftian nightmare that is canned pumpkin!
- The first step is to obtain a Pie Pumpkin (sometimes called a Sweet or Sugar Pumpkin). They look like this:
They can be found at your local supermarket, a Home Depot or a farmer’s market. Each pie pumpkin can make about two cups of puree. Make sure they are firm, or at most slightly soft when you press in on it.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 176 Celsius).
2. Break off the pumpkin’s stem — either cut it off, or pull a Hercules and bend it over, twisting and yanking to the left…
