Pumpkin, Pumpkin...Who's Got The Pumpkin?

I was out of town this weekend. On Saturday afternoon I got a call from Son Donald that went something like this:

SD- "What would you do with a really big pumpkin?"

ME- "I'd bake it to make puree, then use the puree for cooking."

SD- "I've heard that big pumpkins don't have much taste."

ME- "I think by time you add all the extra ingredients it doesn't matter so much. How big is the pumpkin?"

SD- "About 150 pounds."

ME - "Ha Ha." (and thinking to myself there's no way he could be right about that weight)

I thought wrong.  When I arrived home this afternoon Donald was in the middle of a pumpkin-baking frenzy.  There were two pans in the oven and the counter top roaster was filled.  A disposable aluminum pan of pumpkin puree was set on the island next to the pulp-coated food processor, and Hubby Tony was filling gallon sized Ziploc bags with puree from the stock pot.

Cut pumpkin (full-sized shovel added for size perspective)

While I unpacked my weekend things and tried to get organized I learned the story of the pumpkin.  The massive squash was left at Donald's friend's house.  The friend didn't want it there, and Donald felt responsible for removing it.  The two of them put it in the trunk of his car and Donald drove home with it.  He and his dad used a Sawzall to cut it into large pieces, then Donald processed one piece at a time, cleaning and cutting it into pan-sized pieces for cooking.

The pumpkin-processing went on for several more hours. Now there are 12 gallon-sized Ziploc bags of puree (which has a  pretty good flavor) in the freezer downstairs, and a couple more pans of squash to cook tomorrow.  Or to throw in the compost pile, depending on what Donald feels like doing.

I guess I'll be serving a lot of pumpkin-flavored dishes this  winter!

Five years ago today: New Thing #297--Plug It