Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com
When it comes to being thrifty, one of the best ways to be thrifty is by learning how to utilize all parts of whatever it is that you have! The more you can use it, the better value it becomes.
With that, we are heading into the heart of pumpkin season! We love pumpkin season as there are numerous recipes that we enjoy and that we love.
Well, we have always used the flesh to either cook and eat or more specifically for those yummy homemade recipes, and we have always used the seeds to roast and eat – which is fabulous and healthy too.
But we wanted to find out how we can use the rest of it. I mean the guts and the skin! How can those be utilized? Well, this post is going to give you ideas on how to use it all from some things we have done numerous times ourselves, to some new ideas for us too that we look forward to trying.
Photo Credit: applepiepatispate.com
First, you can cook and eat or puree your pumpkin flesh for healthy eating and holiday baking. Making your own pumpkin puree is absolutely amazing. We think it has a fresher, richer and more delightful taste. We are a squash family, so we will eat it like pumpkin pureed, or puree it for recipes like pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or even pumpkin bars (recipe coming soon!).
If you are not sure how to cook and puree your pumpkins, you can head to the LiveStrong site HERE where they will walk you through it step-by-step.
Easy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Food.com
Second, you can roast the pumpkin seeds for a super yummy and healthy treat. We LOVE roasted pumpkin seeds. We like to add seasonings and so this recipe on Food.com HERE is the recipe that we have used for a long time and love. It is VERY simple to roast your own pumpkin seeds so don’t let them go to waste.
Pumpkin Guts Bread Photo From EatingRichly.com
Third, what can you do with the guts (we actually call them the pulp as it is a bit more appetizing :))? Well, with a bit of research, we discovered that you can make a pumpkin bread out of it that is, according to the creator of it, the best pumpkin bread in the whole world. We actually really want to give this one a try this year as we don’t do much of anything with the pulp right now. The picture makes it looks very moist and delicious.
The recipe for “Pumpkin Gut Bread” is found on EatingRichly.com HERE.
Pumpkin Guts Stock from SheKnows.com
Another option that you can use the pumpkin pulp for is to make pumpkin stock. We got this idea from SheKnows.com. It is really simple and here’s how to do it:
Easy Pumpkin Guts Stock
Separate the seeds from the guts and then place the guts in a pot filled with water and boil. Add celery, carrots and a bay leaf for extra flavor. Then boil for about 30 minutes or until the water begins to change color. Strain and use in your favorite soups, stews or freeze for later!
Have you ever tried baking or cooking with the pumpkin pulp? These will be new for us 🙂
Photo Credit: KingstonWormFarm.com
Fourth, the final part of the pumpkin is the skins and left over pieces. This one is just about as easy as throwing it in the trash….that is, use it to throw into your compost pile! Since it is organic matter, it will be perfect for this use!
With that, you can easily use all parts of your pumpkin this year!
Please leave your favorite pumpkin uses, recipes and ideas in the comments! We would love to hear more!
Joyful_2010
Thanks for the article. We’ve always roasted the seeds but never tried to use the pulp. Isn’t there a difference between regular and ‘pie-baking’ pumpkins? If so, I wonder how that impacts a recipe, like the bread?
MARIE LOUISE
I HAVE LOTS OF PUMPKIN ,ITS VERY STRINGY,I CALL IT THE WILD PUMPKIN,ANYHOW,I WILL LIKE TO FIND RECIPES TO USE ALL THAT PUMPKIN,IS I’M TO MAKE PIE,DO I HAVE TO PUREE TI FIRST,I NEVER DONE THIS,SO I NEED A LITTLE HELP,I LOVE TO BAKE AND EVERYTHING ELSE,PUT……DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THEM P.BAGS,THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP
Sophie Gaillard
Hello.. I must be more thrifty than you.. I pull the pulp out with the seeds.. throw both on the pan & as the pulp warms I just eat it.. cold & raw fine too.. the seeds I lightly fry too.. Im usually too hungry to wait for oven.. plus would use too much power yo heat up.
The Skin I munch raw.. or leave on & eat with the rest of cooked flesh..too easy.. hasn’t killed me..think its all food
Brandy
When I was in kindergarten our teacher roasted pumpkin seeds for our class and I’ve been hooked ever since. Now that I have kids (teenagers now) of my own I’ve done the same for them every year. I just throw all the guts in a skillet with lots of salt and butter and fry away. Usually I am also too impatient to wait on the finished product and I sneak bite after bite while it’s still cooking lol. I have a NuWave oven and actually put my seeds and guts in a pan in the NuWave for the first time tonight. It took about 40 minutes total of roasting time but the end result was exactly what I was hoping for. (Plus that oven saves on electricity so it was a win win!). Not the best thing for my cholesterol but oh so good on the pallet!!
Cayla
I just took our pumpkin stringy bits pulsed through an immersion blender and cooked it along with the chunks popped out from carving (minus outer shell). Low heat add some spices and brown sugar or maple syrup and blend again. There’s puree for muffins bread what have you…I make oatmeal chewy bars with it for lunches. Never made pie with it though because it does retain some of that slight slime texture that might go odd as the main flavor.
Victoria Cattermole
Just tried the pumpkin bread recipe. I substituted a cup of oats for flour. And use a bit less oil too. It worked really well! I did one loaf (to which I added sultanas) and the rest I did in mini muffin cases which cook in about 12 minutes. Thanks!
Aika
Great article! Pumpkin provides several health benefits, including helping to improve heart health, lowering blood sugar level, and helping to improve sleep.