Conference turris::cooks

We purchase several nice pumpkins for halloween and decorate them with
markers rather than carving.  Then lthey are placed on a window ledge 
where light can shine on them.  The children enjoy them as much and after
the festivities, they can be cleaned for seeds and pies at Moms leisure.
	Al

re .1:

Sure .... well, as long as you don't want to be a traditionalist.  However,
if you *do* want to carve your pumpkin, you still aren't throwing it away
as a source of pies, etc.  

I should have mentioned to kep the lid in the 'fridge.  Also, of you want
to wait a day or two before processing the Jack O'Lantern to more edible
form, you might want to section it and put it in some airtight container
such as Tupperware.  Takes up less room in the 'fridge that way, too.

Apollonius

	A couple of weeks ago I spent about $8 on three different sized
	pumpkins to decorate my stoop.  They are not carved and probably
	will not be.  It seems a waste to throw them away like I used
	to do so I thought I might like making pumpkin bread or muffins
	this year (I hate P. pie though).  

	Question is, will they be edible in early November.  It has 
	already gotten below freezing a few nights and probably
	will a few more nights before I take them off the stoop.  Is it
	O.K. for them to freeze and thaw like that?

	Karen

    My rule of thumb for food spoilage is - if it looks ok and smells ok,
    it is ok, with the possible exception of meat or fish.  With vegetables
    and fruit you are pretty safe.
    
    One problem is that your pumpkins might not have much flesh on them,
    particularly if they dried out.  I tried to use a pumpkin once and got
    so exasperated with all that cleaver work for little result, that I
    gave up.
    
    Maybe our farming compatriots can fill us in on the varieties grown
    mostly for show, and those grown mostly for cooking.
    
    L

    If it's not mushy once it thaws I wouldn't worry about it.  Pumpkin can
    be cut up and frozen for future use.

    By the way, I've found that if you like pumpkin flavor in breads and
    muffins, but don't like pumpkin pie, it's probably the pasty texture of
    many traditional recipe pumpkin pies.  In one of my Gourmet cookbooks,
    I have a recipe for a pumpkim pie that ends up with a texture more like
    custard pie, but with a disctinct pumpkin flavor.  Also, it has a small
    suprise in it.  You prebake the crust, then paint it with melted
    currant jelly, and sprinkle chopped pecans on it.  The jelly  helps to
    seal the crust against getting soggy, and "glues" the nuts to the
    bottom.  It gives the pie a little extra flavor, too.
    
    Another alternative is a pumpkin cheesecake.  Very creamy.  I know I
    posted a recipe for one in here somewhere.  I've had many people who
    don't like pumpkin pie, but LOVE cheesecake break down and sample some,
    and they all loved it.
    
    							-jp

 re: Karen

> will they be edible in early November.

 You should be ok with them unless we have a real hard frost. I take my
pumpkin inside on nights when it will be much below freezing to prevent
frost damage. Frost damage will show up as a dark patch on the pumpkin. 
When it warms up, this part will be softer than the rest of the pumpkin.
This is where spoilage will occur. So long as the pumpkin hasn't gotten soft
you should be all set.

 As far as taste goes, you don't want to use large pumpkins. Those are
pretty much for show only (although I've known some people to use the
big ones and the food was edible.) The small ones are referred to as "sugar
pumpkins" because they are better suited to cooking and have a higher sugar
content.

 So use the small one and toss the others. :-)

 The Doctah   (a farm hand in a previous life)

>> As far as taste goes, you don't want to use large pumpkins. 

	How large is too large?  My largest stands about 1 foot wide and
tall (not counting the stem).  Is that too big?

Karen

 That's getting on the big side, but it will probably taste ok.

    If you haven't cut holes in the little ones, you can clean them out and
    stuff them with your favorite stuffing (similar to what you would stuff 
    an acorn squash with or even rice and hamburg). Bake them and, voila,
    an unusual offering. Really, it tastes mostly like squash with a
    pumpkinie flavor. in fact, I think I'll try it again this year now that
    you have brought it up. 
    
    Lee

    I have made a soup toureen out of large pumpkins and individual
    services out of small ones.  Kind of fun when the centerpiece turns
    into a server.

    I thought you couldn't eat jack-o-lantern pumpkins?  I thought
    you had to buy cooking pumpkins (not sure of the name)
    
    Kristen

Aren't all pumpkins created equal???

    >       Aren't all pumpkins created equal???
    
    
    There are basically 2 types of pumpkins.
    
    1) Jack-o-lantern    usually your LARGE varriety
    2) Sugar pumpkins    your smaller variety
    
    The 1st one is obvious but the 2nd type is the one used in cooking.
    They are both edible but they have different flavors. The sugar pumpkin
    is sweeter and has more a pumpkin flavor.
    
    Re. the other replies about dislike for pumpkin pie. It may be due to
    the stinginess(sp) of the pumpkin (the problem with the J-O-L type). I
    have an excellent recipe for pumpkin pie using fresh pumpkin if anyone
    is interested. A key to using fresh pumpkin is after you cook it let
    cool a little bit then grind it up. I use my blender but you could use
    a food processor.
    Alan
    

    How about a pumpkin soup recipe?  It was served warm - and to me tasted
    like a heated pumpkin pie - it was delicious.
    
    Does anyone have one they can post or point me to one?  Preferbly made
    from fresh pumpkin instead of canned.
    
    Thanks
    Joyce

    .14 - If you use Type (1) - the Jack-O-Lantern variety, to cook with,
    will the pie or whatever come out just "good" as opposed to "awesome?"
    
    I love pumpkin anything and got disillusioned when I read the note
    about size.  I didn't realize that there were two types of pumpkin! 
    I've got a 21 pounder I was aching to cut into!!!

The bigger pumpkins are just a bit starchier.  If you increase the sugar in 
the recipe to compensate, you won't notice the difference.  The other thing you 
can do with the big guys is hack them into manageable pieces (without seeds),
and roast them in the oven cut side up, brushed with a little butter or oil.
When they are soft, scoop the flesh off the peel and use just like any other
pumpkin.  The roasting dries out the pulp a bit, concentrating the flavors.  It
also caramelizes the sugars a bit, giving it a sweeter flavor.  It does make the
pulp have dark spots though, but a quick trip thru the blender/food processor/
food mill should even the color out.

    By the way, don't forget to roast up those seeds. Just a little oil and
    salt and cook them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 until done.
    Stir occasionally to make sure they cook evenly. One of my favorites.
    
    Lee

    Or toss them into the bushes for the birds or squirrels ?
    
    ed

    .18
    
     To roast the seeds, do you need to let them dry a few days first or
    can you just throw them directly onto a cookie sheet after cleaning a
    pumpkin.
    
    
    

    
    	I've heard of letting them dry first, but I just pop them
    	on the cookie sheet with lots of salt and toast them right
    	after cleaning.

    I cook mine fresh from the pumpkin too!
    
    Whassa matta ed, don't you like pumpkin seeds. :') My birds + squirrels are
    already fat enough on the 50 pounds of sunflower seeds they have gone
    through in the last two months!
    
    Lee

    Actually I'm more likely to throw out seeds from my winter squash
    -- which are also edible.  But feeding the wildlife so cheaply!
    And it keeps my cats entertained.
    
    ed

    Anyone have an easy method for peeling pumpkin seeds?  I made a recipe
    once which called for a cup of pumpkin seeds to be pureed with a bunch
    of other ingredients for a sauce.  It took me all day to peel them.

    There shouldn't be much difference in taste (the right blend of spices 
    is what makes the pie). The only thing with the larger pumpkins is they
    have a tendency to be stringier(sp), not quite as flavorful and not as
    sweet as their cousin. 
    
    With a pumpkin that size you can make pumpkin pies, bread, bars (with a
    cream cheese frosting MMMMMMMMM 8)-, muffins etc the list goes on. You
    can also freeze some, to save for after the holidays. There's nothing
    like having fresh pumpkin pie (or whatever) made with fresh (vs canned)
    pumpkin.
    
    Alan
    

    As I recall, jack o lantern type pumpkins have a higher water content
    than a "cooking" pumpkin, which would make them unacceptable for
    baking.  If you had a method for squeezing the excess moisture out of
    cooked jack o lantern, it would probably work fine.
    
    Chris
    
    

    Well, this whole thing is new to me.  I've *NEVER* cooked pumpkin from
    the real macoy before.  
    
    So, to rehash:  
    
    	- cut the pumpkin up into pieces
    
    	- brush with oil
    
    	- bake (for about how long?)
    
    	- scoop out pumpkin
    
    	- Cuisinart-isize it
    
    	- Use in my favorite recipe and/or freeze...  (but add sugar to
    	  decrease the amount of starch)
    
    Did I miss anything?  I'm going to try this tonight!
    
    Thanks,
    marcia

re .28
The method I mentioned in .17 (?) also dries it out a little.  

    I successfully extracted excess moisture from pumpkin after I cooked
    it (in chunks) by putting the chunks in a potato(e) ricer and squeezing
    over the sink - lots of water comes out first. When you start to get
    riced pumpkin, you move over a bowl and collect the pumpkin.
    
    Bill
    

   My experience of steaming the pumpkin pieces was a disaster. The amount
 of water absorbed by the pumpkin was amazing. Painful to dry it out.

   The idea of baking sounds like a better idea........


    - Bob

    I would imagine that if you freeze and then thaw out later to use, it
    would have alot of moisture in it.  What have been the experiences with
    freezing fresh pumpkin?
    
    I didn't get to my pumpkin last night; I was too tired and company came
    over...
    
    Rgds,
    marcia

    
    
    What I normally due with fresh pumpkin is cut it, peel it and cook it
    just like you would do for butternut squash. Put the cooked chunks of
    pumpkin in the blender/processor and grind it until it's like a puree'.
    At this point you'd pour off what excess water you could and that's it.
    
    I have made many pumpkin pies using the above method for fresh pumpkins
    and never had any problems with them. The pie alway comes out nice &
    solid.
    
    Alan
         

    I hope this doesn't sound stupid, but how do you peel a raw pumpkin or
    winter squash?  I've never found a way to do this that was less than
    muscularly taxing, time consuming, and messy.
    
    L
    

>>>>    muscularly taxing, time consuming, and messy.
    
that's the way....or, don't peel, bake in shell, and scrape pulp out after
softened.  Use as desired.  It works for winter squash of all kinds (and
that is what a pumpkin is).
    

For winter squash, by the way, I slice into discs, then use a regular knife to
slice off the peel around the edge.  It wastes a little more than paring, but
it's lot easier to do.  I used the same technique on a giant zucchini I got
once, but I had to use a mallet to get the knife thru because the peel was more
like bark!

This past weekend, I tried an experiment that was suggested by a recent TV show
(ad?) that showed the folks at Sturbridge Village (or was it Plimouth 
Plantation) hanging pumpkin slices to dry.

I took a "sugar" pumpkin, about 8-10" diameter, and cut it in quarters, then
seeded it.  Each quater was then halved, and each of the resulting 8 pieces was
cut into four (result was like a half a wegde of melon).  These pieces were very
easy to peel, mostly because the smaller pumpkins have tender peels.  I also 
used my veggie peeler to remove a layer from the inside surface, to get rid of
the slimy stuff the seeds leave behind.  Each of the resulting pieces was sliced
into 3 thin wedges.  As careful as I was, there was quite a variety in the 
thickness of the pieces.  I put the pieces on 2 cooling racks in the center 2
rack of my oven and set it for the lowest convect setting (150) with the door
propped open, because LOTS of moisture came pouring out when I opened the oven 
after 10 minutes of closed door drying.  In about 2 hours, they were very dry.
A taste test showed these were great as is, if you like pumpkin flavor.  I'm
going to try to pulverize some in a blender and see what I can do with them 
next.  I'll keep you posted, if I can.


					jp

    Well, I used the baking method for my 21 pounder.  It worked great! 
    My husband and I scooped out the pulp so easily.  I have now made two
    pies, and two pumpkin breads and have alot more pumpkin left over in
    the freezer for X-mas pies, etc!
    
    BTW:  I took the advice here and added extra sugar to the pumpkin pies
    because it was suggested that the jack o'lanterns aren't as sweet as
    little pumpkins.  I wouldn't add that extra sugar again.  It really was
    a bit too sweet.  Otherwise, I thought it was pretty darn good!  Even
    made my own crust.