What we do is to cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and place each half, face down, on a cookie tray, in the oven. Bake at 350 F. until you can poke it easily with a fork. Then, take it out, cool a little and scoop out the flesh.

George

thanks a million George. I have my turkey roaster full, and another pan full plus a small pie pumpkin to do.

I will turn the over on.

I do what George does.

Dale, OKC

Glenda - do you have a microwave? I cut mine in half then scrape out the seeds like George. Then I cut in good size chunks (4 or 5 inches, or wedges) then put them in a glass bowl with a smidge of water, then cover at least with plastic wrap. Rule of thumb is 7 minutes per lb.

I've attached a link to a recipe I found last year and I LOVED it! I used Splenda (DH is diabetic) and also used Eggbeaters when making the pie. Turned out great everytime. And ya can't beat using those crockpots! I'd mix mine at nite so Saturday morning I could get up and get busy.

Paula

Here is a link that might be useful: Crock pot pumpkin butter.

Paula, I have copied the recipe. It sounds wonderful.

I wound up going to W-M and buying a new pressure canner. DH has threatened me with all sorts of dire things if I put another thing in the freezers! I have three running over and there is just the two of us........crazy.

The L.I. Cheese pumpkin made exactly the 7 pints the canner holds. The new canner said to can it in chunks...I had already pureed it like to really old canning book said so I just canned it that way. I froze the two bags of pie pumpkin.

I made a pie and pumpkin bread out of the puree of the L.I. one just to test it. I must say we loved both. I wish it was a bit more orange, but think I probably harvested it a little early because of the split on the bottom.

It was much less stringy and more sweet than the regular pie pumpkin.

I probably have at least 8 or so out there..........wish you all were closer and I would be handing out squashes!

I ended up cooking them in all the ways mentioned above I had so much of it.

Here is a picture showing the difference in the color.
Canning darkened the puree which surprised me a little. I haven't canned pumpkin before.

Glenda

Looks great! I'd say it's orange enough. Long Island Cheese should be a good high quality squash. There are many varieties out there which are superior to the orange Jack O'lantern type.

George

Glenda,

Looks yummy!

Do you have a basement or cellar? I've had Long Island cheese and other similar pumpkins last for weeks and weeks in a cool, fairly dry location, and I've kept some of the harder-shelled winter squash for 6 months or even up to almost a year in our tornado shelter and garage.

George,

I think every "other" type I've grown has been superior in flavor to the standard orange jack-o-lantern types. It is a shame that many gardeners here in the USA never branch out and discover the superior flavor of the winter squashes. Most commercial pumpkin pies are made with winter squash and not pumpkins, so that's a clue, isn't it?

Dawn

Dawn, I plan to winter them over in the retired Milk Parlor. I installed the old gas range out there and can keep a little heat going if need be. It will freeze otherwise. Does light harm? There is no way to make it dark of a day. The cellar is too damp. I know the year I stored canned good down there, the rings all rusted. I just use it as storm shelter.

I will have several pumpkins, L.I. Cheese Squash, and Butternut squashes to store.

Another question regarding harvesting. Do I let the vines all die or if a frost is eminent, should I bring them in.

Do you all wash with a bleach solution or just wipe off or what? I am really new to growing winter squash.

The L.I. keeps setting new vines at various tips so it is staying green. I have been trying to clip it so it would put the growth into the pumpkins already set. It is a loosing battle.

I even ate a dish of it chunked, with brown sugar and butter while I was processing them. Liked it better then the butternut.

A pleasant garden surprise for me.

I have read that you should bring all winter squash in before the first frost. If they are exposed to frost at all, they degrade. I've accidentally left them out during a light frost and they stored fine.

I don't know if I do it right or not, but if I have the opportunity I wash off the dirt, or just brush it off. I never clean them with soap or bleach or anything. I fear that too much cleaning would damage whatever natural wax or sealant the plant uses. I've never had one rot in storage and I've stored about 40 acorn squash. Acorn squash turn orange after about 3 months of storage in the basement. Since I don't eat the skin anyway, I don't worry about it being a little dirty.

I haven't tried long-term storage here in Oklahoma yet. Maybe the lack of a basement will change things. I have an acorn squash on the shelf in my hallway that's been there for about two months now. SVBs killed the vine so I brought it in.

Oh, and don't break off the stem from the fruit until you cook/eat it. I've done that before and it didn't even survive until storage.

I've always used George's method for cooking them. Mix and puree afterwards.

Glenda,

I don't think moderate light hurts. I think direct sunlight on the pumpkins would be the problem, but not indirect light. It does sound like your cellar might be too damp for pumpkins.

Bring them in before temperatures dip below 50 degrees for best quality, and definitely before freezing temperatures arrive. Exposure to freezing temperatures causes fresh pumpkins to break down more quickly after they're picked and put into long-term storage. In fact, all exposure to temperatures below 50 degrees causes cumulative damage...so the more exposure in terms of number of hours the more damage.

If you want to do something "different", I have 2 recipes for pumpkin pickles, but haven't made them myself so can't vouch for their flavor. Don't forget you can make pumpkin butter and other yummy goodies and freeze them....if freezer space becomes available.

I consulted my "Putting Food By" book by Janet Greene, et al, and it says this about 'root cellaring' pumpkins: Harvest before frost, leaving several inches of stem. Condition at 80 degrees for a couple of weeks to harden the rind and heal surface injuries. Then store them in fairly dry air around 55 degrees. Watch the temperatures very carefully. If pumpkins in storage get much above 55 degrees, the flesh turns stringy. If exposed to temperatures much below 50 degrees, they suffer cold injuries. Place in rows on shelves (sometimes I put them on top of boards or cardboard or layers of newspaper on the floor) and not in a pile.

Glenda, I usually wipe off my pumpkins before I put them into long-term storage with a soapy water solution which is about 10% bleach. This can kill any mold or fungal spores on the surface of the pumpkins and help retard spoilage in storage. Some people also coat the entire pumpkin rind in oil by rubbing vegetable oil all over it with a paper towel. This too is said to retard spoilage, but I've never tried it.

HOW TO FREEZE PUMPKIN: I know your three freezers are full, but here's how to freeze it, should space become available. Cook the pumpkin to soften it. You can steam it, bake it, microwave it, cook it in a pressure cooker or boil it. Then, scrape the pumpkin meat from the rind and press it through a sieve. Pack into freezer boxes or zip-lock bags and leave 1/2" of headspace. Freeze.

You can dehydrate them too, but I don't know if you have a dehydrator, so I won't describe the process. If you do have a dehydrator and want to know how to dry the pumpkins, let me know and I'll add it in another post.

Hope this helps.

Dawn

Thanks a million for the answers.

I am so afraid we will get down too cold before all the L.I. Cheeses ripen fully. The pumpkins are almost all orange now.

Glenda

I don't know if the cold weather will speed-up their ripening process, but it seems like the ones in my garden all turn 'suddenly' when the cold nights arrive. It could just be a timing coincidence.

Glenda, I don't know about your weather, but our nights are very cool with this last cold front, and I am as far south in OK as you can go and still be in Oklahoma. It is 50 degrees early this a.m., headed for a daytime high of about 77. It isn't going to last long here....we'll be back up near 90 on Sunday and I am glad. I'm not ready for the cold weather to put an end to the garden's production. The growing season can't be "over" yet....I still have room for more veggies in the new freezer we bought this summer when I filled up the other ones. I have canned more than usual too. It has been a delightfully productive summer!

Dawn