With the change of seasons, new fresh produce comes available. Although it’s sad to say goodbye to berries, I’m excited for squash, pumpkins and apples. During fall and winter, I make sure to have plenty of pumpkin puree on hand for making breads, soups and yes, soap. While buying puree at the store is always an option, I prefer to make mine at home to freeze for later (especially if it’s for soap making because, no additives). It’s easy to make, and freezes well.
When making pumpkin puree, remember to use baking pumpkins rather than carvings pumpkins. When hollowing the pumpkins I like to save the seeds to roast and snack on later. If you’re looking for another way to use the pumpkin puree, the Pumpkin Puree Cold Process recipe uses real puree to create a luxurious bar of soap!
What You’ll Need:
2 medium baking pumpkins
a dash of salt
ONE: Preheat oven to 400 °F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove the stems from the pumpkin, cut in half and scoop out the seeds and fiber. A large metal ice cream scoop works well for this. Sprinkle the inside with a bit of salt, place on the cookie sheet flesh side down and place into the oven.
TWO: Let the pumpkin roast for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until a sharp knife can be easily inserted. Remove from the oven, and allow the pumpkins to thoroughly cool.
THREE: Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to remove the flesh of the pumpkin. Place the flesh into a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. To create a smoother texture, add small increments of water while blending. Transfer puree to an airtight container and place in the fridge to use within a few days, or store in the freezer to use later.
Have you started utilizing fall produce yet? I would love to hear your favorite recipes using squash, pumpkins and apples!
So are those little baking pumpkins what we call “Pee-Wee Pumpkins” here? They’re about the size of a Pee Wee ball – a bit smaller. That’s what it looks like on the cookie sheet.
The little squatty ones are smaller – like the one in the pic next to the pumpkin pie slice, but I don’t know what they’re called. Can you use those for baking, too? They’re great for table decorations. The coolest looking pumpkins though are those huge, yet squatty “Cinderella” pumpkins that have very deep ridges. I dig those….just as a visual.
I will have to check out Anne-Marie’s Related Post for the pumpkin CP soap. I’ve been itching to make a batch.
Hi Patricia!
The pumpkins we used were labeled as “baking pumpkins” at the store. I’m not sure if those are the “Pee-Wee Pumpkins” you’re talking about, you may want to check with your local grocery store.
The smaller pumpkins we used in the photos are for decoration and not for baking. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
HOLY YUM. That looks delicious, and so easy!
Hello!
So glad you like it! It’s very yummy. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Pumpkin soaps are a great seller for me–especially Pumpkin Lager with a little bit of pumpkin puree. I love pumpkin in every way! I eat a crazy amount of it every fall–in smoothies, as a substitute for some of the liquid in a recipe of yeast breads and rolls, muffins, soups, etc, etc… Here are a few in my pumpkin recipe collection, my favorite being pumpkin biscuits…
http://www.pinterest.com/tenthavenue/punkin-love/
Hi Amy!
Thanks so much for sharing! We love pumpkin here too. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry