melissel Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 (edited) We picked our first sugar pie pumpkin today :hurray: I want to process it so I can bake with the puree, but the first site I picked when looking for instructions said that I need to strain the puree through cheesecloth before I can do that. I looked at a few other sites, and they didn't mention it, so I'm not sure if I can skip that step or not. So, if you make your own pumpkin puree, do you strain or do you bake with it as is? TIA! ETA that the recommendation was to strain the extra liquid out (not the lumps) or else your recipe might have a problem with proportions. Edited July 29, 2012 by melissel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I don't strain, but I also don't worry about the occasional lumps that might appear in the pie as a result of not straining. If being absolutely lump-free is important to you, then you should strain. If it's not that important, just go with the puree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 We picked our first sugar pie pumpkin today :hurray: I want to process it so I can bake with the puree, but the first site I picked when looking for instructions said that I need to strain the puree through cheesecloth before I can do that. I looked at a few other sites, and they didn't mention it, so I'm not sure if I can skip that step or not. So, if you make your own pumpkin puree, do you strain or do you bake with it as is? TIA! I don't strain. If I want it lumpless and just "pap", I use a Braunstick on it. But, I bake it first, make the mash, and then make the pie. I don't use raw, pureed pumpkin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 Oh sorry. To clarify, the recommendation to strain was because there's too much watery liquid in the puree otherwise, and it will potentially mess up the recipe. I'm not worried about lumps at all. Mmmm, talking about this is making me hungry :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I have never strained my pumpkin but I do normally run it through the food processor or blender to make it smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I've never strained. I cut in half, remove the seeds and such, place in a pan with a little water, cut side down, and roast until soft. Then scoop out the flesh, process in a food processor or just mash, and freeze in freezer bags. It IS a bit liquidy, definitley more so than canned pumpkin, but you could let it sit in a colander or strainer for a while, rather than straining it through cheesecloth. Much easier..just put a bowl under it to catch the liquid and leave it a bit. Or, only use recipes that call for fresh pumpkin :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 It really depends on what variety they are, and it is hard to know until you puree the first batch. We buy our from the same farmer every year, and I never have to strain them. A friend gave me a few last year, and I did have to strain those. Basically, if they have the consistency of canned pumpkin, they are fine. I cook mine without water in the oven, and I think that dries them out a bit, which helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I've left it in a cheese-cloth lined colander overnight. some are wetter than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApronMama Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 If you strain it, it will be thicker and more like the consistency of canned pumpkin. Sometimes I like that if I'm using a recipe that calls for canned pumpkin. I also like to strain it if I'm going to freeze it. However, not necessary. Thanks for the reminder that I have a bunch of frozen pumpkin left from last fall I need to use up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I've left it in a cheese-cloth lined colander overnight. some are wetter than others. Sugar pumpkins are denser. When I cook a big jack o lantern variety, I make sure I bake rather than boil, and then I let it sit in a colander, and quite a bit of liquid drains out. This is nice in WW bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraciWA Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 1. cut the pumpkin in half, place upside down on a lightly olive oiled, tin foiled covered pan. 2. Roast at 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. 3. Peal the skin and place in a big bowl. 4. Smash the heck out of it with a potato masher. 5. Measure two cups and place in a zip lock freezer bag, squeeze out the air and smooth it flat so it stack easy in the freezer. When you go to make your pie place all the ingredients in the blender and whip it up. That will take care of all the lumps. You might have to bake it a little longer due to the water content of the fresh pumpkin but the flavor is amazing due to the fact that baking it concentrates the sugars and doesn't soak up water like boiling it does. Enjoy! I am just now getting flowers on my plants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 Thank you everyone! I cut the pumpkin in half and baked it, and it definitely does not need to be drained (that makes more sense than strained!). In fact, I may need to add a little liquid when I bake with it--it's very dry. It's also absolutely delicious. I've never tasted real, fresh pumpkin before. It doesn't taste anything like I'd imagined, and I cannot wait to cook and bake with it. One pumpkin provided the equivalent of around 4 cans of puree, and I still have 5 more pumpkins ready to pick and 4 more that should be ready by October. I'm officially in love :D I appreciate all the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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