Canning pumpkin

Have any of you ever had a "been there, done that" experience? Well, I am going to document mine! Before I start explaining my delightful learning experience - I need to extend my heartfelt thanks to Mom and Brittany for the helpful hints along my adventure.

The tale begins with two large pumpkins - gutted but not carved. It is November 1st and I have made the executive decision to not carve them, but can them. Below you see the remaining cooked pieces.

Ahhh, we now proceed to the blending process . . . in which I find out that I am NOT in possession of the preferred equipment. A lesson learned in the importance of proper consistancy.

Along the way, I had the clever idea to freeze it in one cup portions to facilitate later thawing for individual recipes. As you can see, I used a variety of "one-cup" tools. Note, for those tempted to try this, there is some difficulty in removing the frozen pumpkin from containers without melting too much of the outside. This is also a good time to mention, again, the importance of "proper equipment". :-)

Beautiful, isn't it?

So this is the pretty version of the final result. A learning experience to be sure. My final comment is a repeat of the first - been there, done that!