How to Can Your Own Pumpkin

There is nothing that feels like fall more than the wonderful aroma of a pumpkin pie baking in the oven. The smell reminds you of family, friends and celebrations. If you have ever had a pumpkin pie that was baked using freshly preserved pumpkin you can appreciate the extra work of canning the pumpkin yourself. Freshly canned pumpkin tastes much better and contains many more vitamins than the commercially canned pumpkin you see on the grocery store shelves. Whether you use the canned pumpkin for pie, cakes or bars, you will instantly taste the difference of using freshly canned pumpkin.

Almost everyone purchases a pumpkin or two for their doorsteps during the harvest season. Avoid sacrificing the delicious flesh of a pumpkin by decorating it with paint or markers and not carving it. You can then use the pumpkin flesh once the season is passed before the heavy frosts come.

The small pumpkins work the best for eating. They are generally sweeter and softer. Be sure that they rind is very hard and not mushy in any areas. Once the rind becomes soft, the flesh inside is usually moldy and not usable for eating.

Start by cutting the pumpkin in half, and then into quarters and eventually eights. You can then cut the pumpkin from the skin using a very sharp knife. Cut the pumpkin into cubes, no larger than one inch in size. Never try to can pureed or mashed pumpkin. The flesh is too dense for proper sterilization and destruction of any microorganisms that may be in the pumpkin.

After you have the pumpkin cut into one inch cubes, you then need to boil the cubes for two minutes. This will prepare and warm the flesh for canning. It will also remove any microorganisms on the outside of the flesh.

You can then fill your prepared jars with the cubes. Leave at least one inch headspace, and then fill the rest of the jar with hot water. You can use the water that you boiled the pumpkin cubes in to fill the jars. By using the water you boiled the pumpkins in, no nutrients will be sent down the drain.

Place the lids and bands on the jars and they are ready for canning. Place them into your pressure canner. If you are using a weighted gauge canner the pressure needs to be 10 pounds if you are at an elevation less than 1000 feet and 15 if you are over 1000 feet. Processing time is 55 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts. This may seem like a very long time, but the density of the pumpkin flesh requires extensive time in the canner! A dial gauge canner needs to be at 11 pounds for less than 2000 ft in elevation, 12 pounds for 2000-4000 feet, 13 pounds for 4000-6000 ft, and 14 pounds for 6000-8000 feet in elevation.

After canning time is done, allow the canner to cool for oat least an hour. You can then remove the jars and place them on a towel. Check the seals to be sure they are tight and then place the jars in your pantry. Prior to using the canned pumpkin, you can drain the liquid and then mash or puree the cubes to your desired consistency.

Enjoy the fresh taste of the canned pumpkin for the year to come. Save some for yourselves, and give the jars to friends and family for their own enjoyment!