Freezing Peanut Pumpkin

We had so many fun pumpkins at the farm this year! A newbie to the bunch is the heirloom peanut pumpkin. They look so cool and taste just as great.

 

The pumpkin peanut is actually a squash. (What? Yes, I am going to trick my squash haters into eating squash!) The peanuts are excess sugar in the flesh, which makes for a sweet treat. 

We whipped up peanut pumpkin puree to use in our pumpkin recipes this winter. Peanut pumpkin bakes much like a butter nut squash, but it's a little less sweet and not quite as dry - eat it any way you like! 

Here's how we did it: 

1 - Cut your peanut pumpkin in half

2 - Scoop out the seeds and such

3 - Cut the halves in half (so you're working with quarters) 

4 - Place the peanut pumpkin quarters on a cookie sheet (jelly roll style with edges) 

5 - Bake on 350F for 40-60 minutes until the flesh is soft 

6 - Scoop the baked, soft flesh out and puree

7 - Allow the puree to drain through a metal (wire) strainer (20-30 minutes) 

8 - Freeze (we like to use a vacuum sealer to reduce freezer burn and the space needed to store) 

When you're ready to use your puree, thaw and use similar to canned pumpkin. This may be a little runnier, depending on how much liquid strained out - feel free to strain again before using after you thaw the peanut pumpkin.

Enjoy! 

XO