Pumpkin is something that really shouldn't be canned. (Because of the thickness of the puree is hard for it to be pressurized correctly.) But that doesn't mean you can't preserve it! The safer alternative to canning pumpkin is freezing it! It's pretty easy, there are only a few steps.
What you need:
- Pumpkins
- Food Processor
- Spoon
- Cookie Sheet
- Freezer Bags
I love sugar baby pumpkins. They've always grown really well for me. In 2010 I had 7 that matured before it froze. This year I ended up finding some at my local grocery store since my garden fried. 
Wash off the pumpkins. You don't need to do a heavy scrubbing, just get the dirt off the outsides.
Cut the pumpkins in half.
Scoop out the "guts" of each pumpkin. make sure you don't scoop out any of the meat, just clean out the stringy stuff and the seeds. Don't throw these away! Make Dried Pumpkin Seeds!
Put the cleaned out halves of the pumpkin in the oven at about 375F.
Cook them until the pass the "Potato doneness test" poke the meat with a fork and wait until it feels like a cooked potato.
A fully cooked pumpkin should clean out really easily. You can almost peel the skin right off. Put all the meat into a bowl.
Stick the meat in a food processor and add a little water. Process it in small batches and it will work better. The water will help the pumpkin puree better. The consistency should be like baby food.
Put about 2 cups of pumpkin in each freezer bag and label. 2 cups should be close to one can of store boughten pumpkin so you can easily use each bag in exchange for a can in a recipe. Flatten out each bag of pumpkin as you lay it in the freezer so it freezes flat.
I used my frozen pumpkin in several recipes including: Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Pie in a Jar, Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake, and my favorite, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!
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Okay I will say it again you are so smartttttttttt !!!!!
You also must have time to do these things without being interupted by others, My hat is off to you, you teach me so much.
Thanks Bonnie
I do this every year and using this to make pumpkin pies is soooo much tastier than the store-bought stuff. I use the same freezer bag method for pie sized servings but I also make a few quart sized bags with 1/2 cup each in them so I can use it for things like making a batch of pumpkin whoopie cookies, pumpkin pancakes, or my favorite is to mix it with some cool whip and some spices for a yummy and healthy dip!
What a wonderful post and idea. I just love it. Would have come in handy a few years ago as well when there was that awful pumpkin shortage. My kids just love it when I bake pumpkin bread for school lunches! I would love for you to link this up to our blog hop today. I think it is so informative and your photos are simply lovely.~Melissa
I can pumpkin every year for my family of 14 and we’ve never gotten sick. I will say that if you find a can that the lid has popped on, you won’t find a worse smell! But we can quarts and quarts of pumpkin every year (a local farmer lets me glean in his field after Halloween), use it to make pies, muffins, cookies, etc, and never had any problem.
I have frozen it in the past, but my goal is to can as much as I can to save freezer space. Also, if we lose power for several days, I won’t lose my canned food.
Love your blog!!
I would like to respectively disagree with you on your canning pumpkin comment. Canning it doesnt produce bacteria and you can search the internet over & you will not find that comment in any professional forum or statement.
I do agree with you that it is advised by the USDA to NOT can pumpkin puree but that is because that is because there is no way to regulate the thickness and viscosity of the puree of the product being canned and no way to actually test it (USDA or anyone else) to determine whether or not the center of the jar gets hot enough, long enough to kill any botulism spores should there be any in the pumpkin.
The USDA does give guidelines for canning chunk winter squash & pumpkin, just not purees.
Saying that.. I make pumpkin butter & its not recommended to be canned either.. but I do and we’ve never gotten sick nor has any ever been bad. I pressure can mine (half pints & pints) for 90 minutes just to be on the safer side. I would do the same thing with plain pumpkin if I were going to can it.
The Amish water bath it.. Its enough for me to raise an eyebrow but they’ve been making it that way long before pressure canners were invented so who am I say nay…
I agree with you but legally I can’t tell ya’ll it’s safe to can pumpkin puree. It may work for some of you but I can’t recommend it in case one of you tries it and gets sick and decides it’s my fault:( The decision is up to each individual on what you believe is safe to do for you and your family.
I freeze pumpkin puree in ice cube trays. This way I can grab a couple of cubes to thaw whenever I need to, without having to thaw a large bag. I like to sneak pumpkin puree into muffins, pancakes, brownies, spaghetti sauce, and more. Having it frozen in cubes makes it so easy to do – just don’t tell my kids!
In addition to freezing pumpkin, I freeze my persimmon puree. I measure out the amount that I use in my persimmon pudding and put it in freezor bags, squeeze out the air and lay flat to freeze. Wonderful winter treat.