Canned pumpkin

I finally got around to canning some pumpkin yesterday. I've had two of them sitting in my kitchen for over a month now, waiting to be cut up and canned. Thankfully they will keep better than most produce, since I just now got around to doing it.

I actually did three, and have to say it was an experience. I've never messed with pumpkins, cutting them up or anything, and those things are HARD! Thankfully hubby was in here when I started, so he helped cut them up cause I can be kinda dangerous with a knife, and didn't want to hurt myself. *giggle*

I put the pieces in a couple of roasting pans, with a little water (probably to much water...did 2-3 cups, and probably could have managed with just one) and put them into the oven. Boy was I excited when they BOTH fit in the oven, so I didn't have to do one, then the other. :-))

An hour later, I took them out and put them through my sauce maker (with the pumpkin screen), to get the skin (most of it anyway) and stringy stuff out. I was really wondering why anyone would want to do pumpkin when I got that step done, cause it looked like it was mostly water. Thought I'd be lucky to end up with 7 pints once I cooked the water off. Out of three pumpkins, that wouldn't be enough to make it worth while I didn't think. LOL

I put the stock pot full of pumpkin (soup) on the stove and started cooking it down, cause I knew it wouldn't work with that much liquid on it, least not for what I wanted it for. It didn't take all that long (compared to tomato's) to cook down so it was more like tomato sauce...or probably a little thicker. I was actually impressed at how fast that happened...and how much there was still in the pot. I ended up with lots more than I thought I was going to there for a little while. LOL

Once it was thicker (somewhere between tomato sauce and tomato paste), I decided to turn the stove off, cause I didn't want it to burn. I might have been able to get it a little thicker without burning it, but decided to stop this time. If we do more another year, I can always try to get it thicker, if I think I need to. I put it in pint jars, and into the pressure canner for an hour at 10 pounds pressure, to be used for pumpkin pie...and maybe some pumpkin bread, if I ever get around to making any.

***Please Note - from things I've read online, it's been said you shouldn't try to can pureed pumpkin anymore, cause it could spoil. However, since it's actually been done for years (and my Mom has done it with no problem) I decided to go ahead and try. It was really hot when I put it into jars and into the canner, so I'm sure that helps make sure it does get up to the right temp while its in the canner for an hour (or longer if it's quarts). If you try it....try it at your own risk!

I got 16 pints, and had probably 4-6 pints left over, that I put in the freezer, cause I didn't want to do just a few in the canner. I figured that was plenty, since I don't usually make more than one or two pumpkin pies a year...and so far haven't done pumpkin bread to often. We may have enough to last several years if I don't pick up on how much I use in a year. LOL

It was interesting to see how something new turned out, even though I was disgusted there for a little bit, thinking I had done all that work for not much return. Thankfully it had just fooled me, and turned out to be around what I was hoping to get out of it. I even called up my Mom, and asked her WHY anyone would WANT to do pumpkin, if that's all they were going to get out of it, but then had to call her back and tell her it turned out better than I thought it would. *giggle*

Course, I never did taste it, so who knows if it will make a very good pie...guess I'll have to be checking that out one of these days. :-))