Here is Mr. Pumpkin. He had a rough start in the garden since the squirrels or racoons or something can't resist the urge to eat them as soon as they are formed. But this guy managed to grow. We enjoyed a couple months of display on the counter and now's time for the kill. "Come on, come on, everyone." [obscure literary reference. who gets it?]
First step is to chop in half and scoop out the seeds. I have this mallet thing that I got for assembling my anthrocart. The perfect tool for this job.
Mr. Pumpkin almost didn't fit in the oven. I had to do some shelf repositioning. I was a little worried about it hanging over the edge. These puppies put out juice when they're roasting.
Once he's roasted (about 1 hour at 400 degrees) it's a simple job to scoop out the fleshy innards. Ideally let cool a bit first. Mr. Pumpkin filled the entire bowl (at left). I let the pumpkin drain in the colander and try to squeeze out extra moisture. Then I puree in the food processor. That step is probably not necessary but I like my pumpkin smooth.
When done I had 5 3-cup containers of pumpkin plus I used 2 generous cups for my pumpkin cheesecakes. I have a whole tray of seeds for planting and sharing. (Let me know if you'd like some.) And I shipped a gallon of pumpkin juice to Hogwarts for the kiddies.
