Buy Pumpkins After Halloween
This is a tip one of our readers posted and I thought it was a really great idea! Of all the things I am busy buying on clearance after Halloween, pumpkins wasn’t one of them. Duhh!! What was I “not” thinking? Thanks for the great idea!
-Jill
Reader Tip:
I buy pumpkins the day after Halloween. Cut them in half and bake them in the oven at 375° until tender. Puree them and put them in quart sized freezer bags for pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. Butternut squash is wonderful, too. Cut in half, scrape out seeds, put at little butter, honey, and cinnamon in the hole. Wrap in foil and put in the oven or in the south we put it on the Grill!!!!
photo by: cindyfunk
if I am going to eat it as a vegetable I leave the seeds and pulp in and eat them too. Being seeds I presume they contain the most nutrients.
How long will this pumpkin puree last in the freezer? Does anyone know?
Yes at least 6 months.
I used some this week from last season. It was just fine.
I usually use mine up at Christmas but I think 6 months is fine still.
When I thaw it I pour off the liquid but keep it to add back into the mix if the pie filling seems too dry.
If the pie mix doesn’t need it you can use it to replace water or milk in muffins or cakes.
Are you talking about buying them at pumpkin farms or local stores?
Or you could dehydrate them like in your post earlier today. I put a dehydrator on my Christmas list! I make lots and lots of pumpkin bread at Christmas time so being able to dehydrate pumpkin would be awesome.
Plus my kids are in FFA and sell fruit every year – this year I’m buying a whole box of apples to make applesauce with. Can’t wait!
Nicki, I do agree. The dehydrator is very useful. I’ve done a lot of herbs and root veg for stews .It works brilliantly and, dried, they take up so little space. Must try doing some pumpkin
Dehydrated persimmons are fantastic, too! slice while firm into cirles and dehydrate.
This is not for the crunchy ones that can be eaten while crisp. It’s for the ones that need to be very soft before eating raw. But to dehydrate them, you need to be able to slice them. So you slice them and dehydrate them when they are firm and still astringent. But–the “puckery” flavor becomes sweet after they’re dehydrated. It’s a lovely sweet treat.
Learned that from a friend who has a HUGE tree.
I mix 1 to 1 homemade apple sauce and apple sauce and make fruit leather. Delish. I found kids that will not eat tomatoes will devour this.
stang
ment to say apple sauce and tomato sauce
sorry
stang
Hi! Are we talking pie pumpkins or the regular kind that are larger and used for carving this time of year? I love this idea but only noticed the large ones are half price; and I did not know you could eat them???
I just use the large ones.
Don has asked for years to try pumpkin pickles.
This year I did and now have 7 pints of pumpkin pickles.
Have another 2 weeks I think before we can try them.
They sure look pretty and they were so easy to make I am going to try the 2nd pumpkin we bought at the same time.
Tried roasting the seeds but they burned so the birds will get them in the bacon fat and stuff I have frozen in the freezer.
I also love the dehydrators. Have 2 but one is out of date and seems to take forever.
I have been doing apples into chips because Don munches on them at work and at night instead of potatoe chips.
I am really enjoying the canning and dehydrating, as I can’t walk far I am at least still contributing to life.
oh, grandma, you do much more than contribute to life!!! if you knew how many of your ideas I’ve appreciated, you’d be so surprised. I have relatives with diverticulitis, so I have only heard how painful it can be, hope you fell better soon.
donna
We’ve been blesssed by my husband’s boss. She’s the one in the neighborhood who goes all out to decorate for holidays. Each fall, I get at least a dozen pumpkins and often several mum plants in pots the week after Halloween. I don’t understand why she doesn’t leave them out through Thanksgiving, but I’m thankful she doesn’t :)Perhaps some of you have extravagant neighbors who would give you their yard decorations after Halloween…you could even use the haybales in your gardens over winter!
Was at the grocery store yesterday as it was grocery day and they had their bin of pumpkins. No prices so I asked how much and was told to take what I wanted. WOW I picked up two good size ones. Then as I got into the store and the produce section was looking for apples at a decent price to dehydrate. They had gala ones for .46 a lb. picked up a plastic grocery bag of those as well. Then onto the meat dept. and they had packages of 3 whole chickens at $23. but with a mark down of 30% so bought two packs. So I saved a bit of money and got things that I can use.
Only problem is the chickens use by date is today. Which wouldn’t be a problem if the diverticulitis attack had waited a week to strike.
I have to debone the chickens and can them today and I am living on pain pills. I was sick for 2 days but thought I was over it so went for a hair cut which was desperately needed and got groceries which were also needed but could have put off if I was really sick. But no it hit full force again this morning so it will be a long day with many breaks but I will get the chicken done. Can’t do the apples as the dehydrator is in use for the jerky we had marinating over night.
We tried the pumpkin pickles last night and they are wonderful. Nice sweet but tart crispy bites so 2 more pumpkins will be made into pickles and the one remaining will be baked and then dehydrated. But they like the apples can wait. It is the chicken that will be the main problem. If it gets too bad they will be vacume sealed and frozen but I don’t really want to do that. So will try for the canning. Tried a jar of the canned turkey and it came out so nice and we had hot turkey sandwiches without the fuss and bother of a turkey dinner.
Oh well now that I have whined and also been happy about the deals I will get on with the work.
have a good day everyone.
In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, be healed.
Lord we ask that Gradmas be healed of her diverticulitis so she can accomplish all the tasks she needs to get done today. Lord we give you the Glory for healing her this day.
Miss Tam is a real one
thank you Miss Tam.
well it has settled down so I have boned 2 chickens and put the other 3 into 2 slowcookers and will can those cooked. Can’t stand long enough to do otherwise and Don said he wanted to try the shredded chicken so that will be my excuse. Never did that before so another experiment.
I have 6 pints of cream of brocoli soup base in the pressure canner and vacumed sealed 3 lb packages of bacon. decent price so I got 3 to last a while one pack does us for 4 meals so $10 a pack isn’t too bad.
The apples will have to wait until the dehydrator is done with the jerky or the order at the store gets here.
Wawa had the road wash out and huge sink holes all along the road. One motel disappeared into the hole and the car dealer ship lost some of their trucks. Big rain storm and washed out the road.
It is the Trans Canada Hwy. so traffic is down now to 1 lane but that is about a week later. So no delivery trucks from the south. Our town is ok we had rain but are higher above lake superior so no problems except deliveries and mail.
thanks again for thinking of me.
Sounds like you are doing all the good ! Be Blessed.
Grandma glad to hear that you are well stocked for food during the wash out. Hope you feel well soon. I have a rotater cuff injury and only thought I knew what pain was previously.
Sorry to hear that you were sick Grandma. When I have food that is going bad, and I am too busy/sick/what have you I put in in the freeze until I do have time. I hard boil eggs, dice and freeze them and make egg salad. Same with cheese. I free fresh meat and veg and cook and store them well later. It’s better than throwing things away. P.S. I cleaned out my freeze and found some 6 year old food! It’s not bad, it just doesn’t have the nutritional value it did when it went in. My dog is enjoying it. I licked some off of my finger and it still tasted good.
Wow, what an awesome idea. I never thought about buying pumpkins after Halloween. I am going to buy some for my Thanksgiving, and Christmas pies. Thank you so much.
Denise
Hi All, any of you know where else I can buy pumpkin after Halloween? I am based in Inverness.
Thank you.
You can buy canned pumpkin but I don’t know where you can buy a whole pumpkin at all after this time of year. Maybe someone else has an idea. Most of the crop here in the US are picked or frozen by now.
I take all the guts from the pumpkin remove the seeds for roasting. Then all the pieces the kids have cut up after carving their pumpkin. Play sit in a pot on the stove and boil for about 40 minutes. Then I puree at all and put in small serving containers and fries. Pumpkin is amazing for dogs and this way we make our own homemade pumpkin dog food.
My kids wanted to get pumpkins two days after Halloween. They’ve been to several market stands and grocery stores. There are none to be found! (Grand Rapids, Michigan area).