How to Harvest & Process Fresh Pumpkin

I’ve had an irrational fear of processing pumpkins for the longest time. It just seemed overwhelming. How would I cut them? Why did the guts have to be so gross to deal with? What do I do with all those seeds?

Then, as pumpkin puree climbed to $4 a can (and even higher now in 2022 at $6), I decided enough was enough.

In this blog post, I walk you through processing fresh pumpkin so you can save some money and have customizable, delicious purees and other processed pumpkin delights at your fingertips. Make sure to read all the way to the end for some delicious pumpkin recipes!

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree. I'll show you how to make it. Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

Related: Easy Pumpkin and Succulent Decoration

PROCESSING FRESH PUMPKIN

1. Cut in half & save your seeds

In May 2018, I planted one pie pumpkin plant, and it produced eight small pumpkins. I was thrilled. I harvested them in September before the early frost, and they ripened beautifully in time for use as Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations.

With Halloween over, it was time to take the plunge. The first surprise was that cutting them open was very easy. I didn’t even have to warm them up in the microwave.

I removed the seeds with a tablespoon and saved them for another project.

NOTE: To easily open a pumpkin, you must use a variety meant for baking. Pumpkins meant for jack-o-lanterns will have much thicker skin and be harder to cut open.

Related: 3 Ways to Make Delicious Pumpkin Seed Snacks

2. Bake

I lined up the pumpkin halves on my baking sheet and cooked them at 375 for around an hour. Your time will vary depending on the size of your pumpkins. When I could easily stick a fork in them, and the thinner ones were starting to break apart slightly, I declared them done and took them out to cool completely.

Related: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

3. Add water and blend

I don’t have a food processor or a particularly large blender, so I roughly broke up the pieces by hand, added 1/2 cup of water, and used my immersion blender. If you are using a larger blender, you don’t have to add the water, but I was concerned about overwhelming my motor.

Not sure what to do with the vegetables you’ve grown this year? Download the free cheat sheet below to help you out:

Pumpkin Puree with Little Effort

I processed four batches and got 13 bags of pumpkin with 1 1/2 to 2 cups each. (Sorry friends, I’m not a huge fan of measuring, but I admire those of you who are!) If 1 bag = 1 can of store puree (at $6/can), the savings are $78! Not bad for something that takes about an hour of actual work (not counting the time in the oven).

My son is a super picky eater because of his sensory preferences, and pumpkin is one of the few vegetables I can generally hide in something he eats, like pancakes or bread. If you only use pumpkin in one or two recipes a year, buy a can. But if you use it more often like I do and enjoy doing this kind of stuff, then growing and processing the pumpkins is worth the savings!

Here are some delicious recipes for you to try:

Have you processed your own pumpkins? If you have any tips or tricks, please share!

If you enjoyed this blog post, find me on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for delicious recipes, small space gardening and flower farming tips, and more! I also make weekly videos over on my YouTube channel where I share lots of tips and tricks for cold-climate gardeners. I hope to see you there!

WANT SOME SIMPLE prairie FRUIT RECIPES?

If you’re looking to make delicious recipes with your homegrown hardy fruits, look no further. Check out my e-book, Hardy Fruits Cookbook, for over 25 mouth-watering dishes!

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Comments

Cheryl

Or buy them cheaply around Halloween . Thanks for the info, I bought one and will freeze the pulp for later.

Reply
- Kristen Raney
  
  That's an excellent idea!
  
  Reply
Melanie

Looks great! Craxy question... did you peel the pumpkins or puree peel with? Last year I did this but didn't leave peel in and the color was not as nice as yours looks!

Reply
- Kristen Raney
  
  I left the peels on to bake, then peeled them after they cooled. Was your colour too light or too dark? You should also know that I edit almost all of my pictures, so the orange may have been boosted a bit in the editing process.
  
  Reply
Janice

I cut my pumpkin in half, more or less, removed the seeds. Then cut it into strips, used a potatoe peeler to remove the skin - super easy!! - and the last of the strings that were clinging to the pumpkin, and roughly cubed it into the slow cooker Added maybe a cup of water. Set it on high for two or three hours. I dumped it into a sieve, (ate a bunch of it with butter and salt and pepper) and then ran it through the food processor. Ended up with about 2 1/2 cups, would have been significantly more if I hadn't eaten it like I would squash. It was tasty!!

Reply
- Kristen Raney
  
  That also sounds super easy! I'll have to try that method with my last pumpkin that I'm still using as a photo prop.
  
  Reply
Nikky

So, I had my first garden ever, this year, and I planted packets of seeds with the mindset of “I’ll probably kill most of my plants, so if I plant a WHOLE packet of seeds, Ill have at least one plant of each veggie survive”... yeah, they ALL survived. So I am stuck with about 80 pie pumpkins... yay! With that being said, I know how to purée and preserve the pumpkins, but do you have any favorite recipes?

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- Mary
  
  Congratulations!! If you're in Chicago area I will happily take some off your hands!!
  
  Reply
Sharon

I ended up with ten large jack o lantern pumpkins this year. I have been out of town a lot so they are still in my garden. Can they be harvested the same as pie pumpkins?

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- Kristen Raney
  
  Yes. The flesh might be a bit more watery, but you can still make puree with them.
  
  Reply
Paulette Calloway

Did you can the pulp or freeze it? I have done this and I use the disposable 2 cup containers and freeze it. The recipe I use for cookies calls for 2 cups of pulp.

Reply
- Kristen Raney
  
  I froze the pulp. The only way you could can it is if you have a pressure canner.
  
  Reply
Shelly

Hi! I bought seeds this year and am planning a pumpkin patch in order to process and can the pulp. I'm wondering, since pressure canning will cook the pumpkin again, should the baking time be less, or would it have to be long in order to get it to blend into a puree? Thanks so much for this post!

Reply
- Kristen Raney
  
  I would still bake it the same amount of time, because you want to be able to get a nice smooth puree before you put it in the jars.
  
  Reply
Lara

Do u freeze or bottle? Curious thanks

Reply
- Kristen Raney
  
  I freeze because I haven't tried out my pressure canner get. It can only be canned with a pressure canner and not a water bath.
  
  Reply
Kelli Mahan

Hi! It should be noted that if you are going to can your pumpkin in a pressure canner, you should not follow this cooking method. Pumpkin puree CANNOT be safely canned. You should clean and peel your pumpkin, cut it into one inch cubes, boil the cubes in a large pot of water for 2-5 minutes, then pack them loosely into hot, sterilized jars. Ladle in the hot cooking liquid, leaving one inch of headspace. Wipe the rims of your jars; put on lids and rings, and process in a pressure canner at 15 pounds of pressure (NOT a water bath). Adjust pressure for altitude. Quarts: 90 minutes; Pints: 55 minutes. :)

Reply
- Kristen Raney
  
  Thank you so much for this information!! I have never pressure canned pumpkin before, so I am very grateful for your directions.
  
  Reply
Sharon Casados Nott

Hi, I planted some pumkin plants and there coming up great! I learned how to cook and eat it, but I am wondering if you could use pumkin for beauty products?

Reply
Theresa

Remember that pumpkin purée must be frozen, not canned. If you are canning pumpkin it needs to be chunked and then pressure canned, not water bathed. Otherwise the risk of botulism increases exponentially, since pumpkin is a low acid fruit :)

Reply