Had to try it

I'm shocked.  I evidently didn't take a picture of my pumpkin.  I bought the Rhode Island Cheese Pumpkin at the grocery store in Mercer, Mo.  The pumpkin was not bright orange and it was sort of flat but I can't find a picture of it.  I even used it for a fall/Thanksgiving decoration in my entry way but never took a picture of it.  What? 

 . . . oh well, wait.  Here!  The internet has everything and here is a photo of my pumpkin!  Paler, flater.  Okay . . . more flat!  Certainly not a Jack-o-lantern pumpkin. 

But pleasing to my eye. 

What a surprise when I cut it open -- it has beautiful orange meat!

Himself asked me why I thought I had to cut open, scrape out and cook down a pumpkin?  Why?  he wondered.  I confessed that I didn't know but I had got it in my head that I needed to do this once in my life time .

So I quartered the pumpkin, and with Maddie's help, scraped out the seeds and the strings.  I threw the shell and the flesh in a roasting pan, covered it with foil and baked it at 350 degrees for an hour. 

I separated the seeds from the strings (the guts) and roasted them as required.  I salted them down with sea salt and fed them to hungry granddaughters.  Johanna tried them and said they tasted like wood chips!  but Morghan and Maddie chowed down on some and took the rest home. 

Salted Pumpkin Seeds

After baking the pumpkin shell, I scraped out the meat, drained it and froze up four pint jars.  I kept thinking the pretty orange color would fade but it didn't.  I think the cooked pumpkin is beautiful! 

We had to drain the "puree" then ladle the pumpkin into glass jars to freeze.  I didn't research further, but if you want to "can" pumpkin you have to leave it in pieces.  You can't "can" pureed pumpkin so I cooled it in ice water until there was not one little degree of heat left in it, and plunked it into the freezer. 

Isn't it pretty?  I used one of these jars and made some Pumpkin Gingerbread.  This "bread" or cake wasn't nearly as sweet as say, pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, but it was good . . . and much healthier for a person.  Himself and I tried it right out of the oven but it was better the next day, after cooling.  That is unusual as most baked goods are best right out of the oven.    Again, I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the pretty gingerbread (sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon). 

What's wrong with me?  I'm out of practice!  I'll be working on that . . .