Types

• Winter squash comes in many varieties, including butternut squash, acorn squash, Delicata and Hubbard. "Pumpkin" as a term covers any winter squash that is orange and round with orange, edible flesh. Pumpkins may have ridges, and be oblong- or circular-shaped. Their size varies hugely: Pumpkins may weigh only ounces up to more than half a ton. The Small Sugar variety of winter squash arguably makes the best pumpkin pies, while for general purposes--such as pumpkin puree--Connecticut Field is a favorite.
  
  

Function

• Use pumpkin puree for baked treats such as pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin breads and pumpkin cheesecake. Add pumpkin puree to soups to thicken and lend a sweetness to the stock. Strain pumpkin puree for baby food and store it in your freezer in serving-size containers. Cooked pumpkin has a texture and flavor similar to that of cooked sweet potatoes. Wherever a recipe calls for sweet potato puree, you can substitute pumpkin puree with no ill effects.
  
  

Considerations

• Use homemade pumpkin puree or pumpkin puree from cans interchangeably in recipes. Although you'll find canned pumpkin available year-round, most pumpkin in the U.S. is sold and used during the fall and winter, from Halloween to Christmas. Add aromatic spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and ginger to baked goods cooked with pumpkin puree to deepen the flavor. Without the spices, pumpkin has a light taste. In sweet baked goods and casseroles, sweeten pumpkin puree lightly with sugar, brown sugar, molasses, 100 percent pure maple syrup, honey, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup or your preferred sweetener.
  
  

Effects

• Pumpkins are rich in beta carotene and potassium. According to the USDA, one cup of canned pumpkin flesh has 7g of fiber, more than 2g of protein and numerous trace nutrients. Along with the other winter squashes and sweet potatoes, pumpkins are one of the healthiest of the starchy vegetables.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• To make pumpkin puree, wash and then bake the pumpkin. If you have a large pumpkin, cut it up into pieces (or use the fresh carved-out pieces from your jack-o'-lantern) and scoop out the fibrous mass of seeds, which you can discard or set aside if you'd like to roast pumpkin seeds later. Bake the pumpkin pieces at 400 degrees with a little bit of water in a covered pan until they are fork tender. If you have a small pumpkin, pierce it with a knife and bake whole on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for 45 to 90 minutes until the flesh is tender, and then remove the strings and seeds. Scoop out the flesh, discard the skin, and mash the pumpkin with a potato masher, fork or spoon until smooth. You can also blend the cooled flesh in small batches until pureed. Store the pumpkin puree in the freezer in 2-cup portions. A pound of pumpkin yields about 2 cups of puree.