Using Fresh Pumpkin or Squash for Pies

Choose a smaller pumpkins or squashes – ask the vendor at the market which ones are best for baking.

Split the pumpkin in half (or in quarters, if it is very large), and scrape out the seeds and stringy part.

Arrange the pumpkin with the rind side down on a roasting pan that is either lightly-oiled, covered with foil, or covered with a silicon baking mat. Cover it tightly with foil, and bake at 325 degrees for 75 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for another 30 to 45 minutes – until the flesh is extremely soft and yields very little moisture when pressed firmly with the back of a spoon. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

When you can handle the squash, scrape the flesh from the rind and mash it to a pulp. A potato masher or a whisk works well for this. Line a colander with a triple thickness of cheesecloth that has been rinsed in very hot water and thoroughly wrung out. Place the puree in the colander, wrap the ends of the cheesecloth over the top, and cover with a plate topped with a couple of cans from the pantry. Put the colander in the sink and let the pumpkin drain for one hour.

Check the consistency of the puree. If your pie recipe is not prepared in the food processor, you may want to give the drained puree a quick spin through the processor to ensure that you won’t have any lumps in the finished pie.

Yield: 5 lbs pumpkin / squash = 1 lb puree.