Making Pumpkin Puree

The other day I was getting things ready to start decorating for Christmas and had so many pumpkins that I had no idea what to do with. Throwing them out felt like such a waste, so I decided to make some puree for pies and breads.

Here are a few of the pumpkins...the two on the left are from our garden:)

Cut open the pumpkin.

Scoop out the seeds and guts with an ice cream scoop.

Save seeds for roasting! Yummmmm:)

I didn't take a picture of the next part, but I cut up the pumpkin and baked some of it at 350 degrees for about an hour. I had both ovens full and had to steam some as well. Steam small chunks with skin on for about 20 minutes. Pumpkin is ready when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork.

Remove the skin and mash. I wasn't too worried about making it super smooth as I don't know what recipes I will be using it for. I can always puree it more later if the recipe calls for it.

I scooped 2 cups of puree into each quart size ziplock bag and stacked them in the freezer. I now have 14 bags of pumpkin puree to use in recipes! Yay! Free and fresh. Gotta love it!

If Travis still ate pureed food I would have also put some into ice cube trays for easy food servings of baby food.

Making Baby Food: Butternut Squash

I Love Fall!

 I love butternut squash fresh from our garden...so does my 1 year old:)

Step 1: Cut squash in half and lay cut side down on a baking sheet. 

Add water to the pan to keep the squash moist while it bakes and check the water level midway through baking.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get that stuff off my pan?

Eew! No matter how hard I scrub it stays the same.

 Step 2: Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until squash is soft.

 Step 3: Let it cool and then scoop out the flesh.

Be careful not to get too close to the skin(that's where all the strings are)
and put it in a food processor.

I use the Magic Bullet and it works so great for making baby food.

Step 4: Puree until smooth.

Add water or juice to get it to the consistency that you want
(Thinner for younger babies, thicker for older ones). 

Step 5: Spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze over night,
then transfer to a labeled freezer bag.

When baby is ready to eat, pull out a few cubes and defrost!

Isn't that color yummy? 

Serving idea: Heat up a few cubes and toss with some whole wheat pasta
and some shredded zucchini.

Healthy and delicious!

I am linking up with some of these lovely blog parties:)

Making baby food: Applesauce

This is the first year that our apple tree has produced much of anything...in fact, it is loaded with apples! Alot of them were ready to pick and I knew that if we didn't get to them soon they would go to waste.

I wanted to make some applesauce for Travis(and the rest of us), so we all went out to pick some apples from our own back yard!
I love having an apple tree:)

I had to distract the boy with an apple all his own.

I think he liked it;) I took a few bites and then let him go to town while the rest of us picked apples.

Brooklyn loved picking the apples and posing with them.

 Here is my handsome husband up in the tree picking all the apples that I couldn't reach. Thanks Babe!

After you pick (or buy) your apples you need to:

1. Wash them

2. Peel them

3. Core them

4. Slice them

5. Place them in a slow cooker

(Preferably while watching McDreamy and McWarVet on Hulu)

Take apple peels and cores out to your chickens or compost pile.

Set the slow cooker on low heat for 6-8 hours.

Add 1/2 cup water to start and add more later if it needs it.

Some people season later, but I like the seasonings to cook into my apples, so I add about a 1/4 cup of sugar(brown or granulated) and a heavy sprinkling of cinnamon.

After so many hours in the slow cooker I didn't even have to mash my apples! I stirred them and they fell to mush. Yummy mush.

I filled up ice cube trays with the applesauce, covered with foil and froze overnight to make baby food cubes to feed to Travis.

Here they are all ready to be put in a labeled freezer bag to be thawed out and fed to the baby.

The rest was eaten up so fast that I am now on my 3rd batch!

What have I started???

Do you have any apple recipes that freeze or can well?

I still have a ton of apples and want to use them all up!

I am linking up to some of these parties:)