Frugal Eats - Pumpkin/squash puree

Did you know that you can stockpile baked pumpkin and hard squash in your freezer for all those great winter recipes? Pumpkin bread, squash soup, pumpkin pie...the list goes on and on. This time of year pumpkins and hard squash are going on sale, allowing you to purchase them at a great price. Plus you may get some for free that people may give you from their garden "overgrowth".  Is making your own much cheaper than buying it on sale or with a coupon at the store...the simple answer is not much, but yes. So why would you want to make your own? The taste is far superior to canned, and besides, by doing it yourself you control what goes in your food eliminating all the extra preservatives.

To bake a pumpkin or hard squash, you will need to clean the outside and remove the stem.You can peel them, but its not necessary. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place whole pumpkin/squash on baking sheet. Bake till outside is carmelized (about an hour), then remove. Once they are cool enough to handle, slice in half and remove seeds, cut off top and bottom of squash (where stem and stern were). Put remaining pumpkin/squash into a food processor and puree, adding a pinch of salt to each batch. Package puree in containers sized for what you use in receipes. Freezing purees in ziploc type bags seems to work well because you can lie them flat when freezing, making for easy storage. Make sure you date and label the bags so you can make sure none of it goes to waste. Bagged puree is best thawed in the fridge overnight.