What the heck to do with a whole pumpkin!

fresh pumpkin scones+cooking, baking, storing

I was a bit behind the ball this summer, as usual. When it came time to plant the pumpkin bed, I drug my feet and stared at the weeds with hatred. Lucky for me, my four kids were motivated enough by the idea of growing their own pumpkins that they did the weeding and planting for me. The result was many, many beautiful pumpkins.

See?

Okay - that doesn’t look like a lot. But there’s loads more in the kitchen… some in the root cellar… and some on the other side of the door. Point is that we will have plenty of pumpkin to enjoy over the coming months. And even if you didn’t grow a patch yourself, they’re for sale at every grocery store in the country right now for a very cheap price! So snag some while you can.

As I also share in the video, I have two primary forms of storing pumpkins:

1. Placing the pumpkins whole in my cool, dark root cellar. This way there is “fresh” whole pumpkin through the winter. The downside is that sometimes the pumpkins don’t hold up super well and it can create a bit of a mess…

2. Which is why I also cook and store pumpkin puree in the freezer. This is ideal for having some of the work already done for me before I need it, but does take up freezer space.

There’s loads you can do with pumpkin once you know how to tackle it! And it’s worth the effort. Pumpkins are rich in beta carotene, vitamin c, vitamin e, and iron. Super good for you.

Here’s one of my all time favorite pumpkin recipes: Pumpkin Rice Pudding. Please overlook the fact that this recipe was posted 12 years ago and I had no idea how to work a DSLR camera. Hopefully the pictures don’t deter you from making the recipe, which I promise, is delicious.

Here’s another delicious recipe for you: Fresh Pumpkin Scones!

Fresh Pumpkin Scones

500 grams flour (I use all-purpose Einkorn)

2 teaspoons baking powder

150 grams sugar (I use maple sugar)

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

250 grams fresh pumpkin puree

120 grams milk

100 grams frozen butter, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a second bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin puree and milk. Whisk well to combine and set aside.

4. Add the grated butter into the flour mixture. Toss the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it’s crumbly.

5. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a fork to combine the mixture. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and divide into two even pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a flattened 8” circle (the dough will be about 1” thick). Use a knife to cut the circle into 8 even wedges.

6. Transfer the scones to a parchment paper lined baking tray. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden. Let cool slightly on a wire rack and dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.

I hope you enjoy!

Shaye