From Decoration to Dessert: Transforming Pumpkin into Puree

It's getting pretty cold here at night, time to bring the pumpkins in off the porch and store them in the basement.
Someone will have to step up to the plate and be pie though.  And the honors go to...

Mr. Queensland Blue, with a blemish on his butt

the Queensland Blue that is showing a slight sign of rot on the bottom.

Once dispatched with a knife, emptied of it's pumpkiny innards, and quartered, I roast it at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Roasted to perfection!

Once roasted, I puree the flesh in a food processor.

I keep my pureed pumpkin in plastic refrigerator storage containers until needed.  Extra can be vacuum sealed and frozen for later use.
Fresh pumpkin (even FROZEN fresh pumpkin) is higher in nutrients than canned pumpkin from the store and it tastes so much better.  Extra pumpkin can be used in any recipe as added nutrition-- mashed potatoes, spaghetti sauce, gravy....  Sneak it in wherever you can to use it up.
Those extra cucurbits can hang out in the basement until they are needed.  Be sure to check them regularly for signs of rot.  I have kept Lumina pumpkins and Chersonskya squash through the winter and well into summer.  But now is the best time for them.  Roast them up and enjoy them!