Is it possible to freeze pumpkin for the winter and how to do it correctly. What can you cook from frozen pumpkin?

Vegetable growing » Pumpkin

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Kira Stoletova

Freezing pumpkin is an effective way to preserve vegetables for the winter with minimal loss of valuable substances. Most vitamins (with the exception of vitamin C) remain in their original form.

Methods for freezing pumpkin

Benefits of pumpkin

Even periodic consumption of pumpkin gives incredible results:

blood pressure decreases;
the risk of atherosclerosis or hypertension is reduced;
the functioning of the immune system improves;
excess fluid is removed from the body, which is very useful for those who are losing weight or have diseases of the genitourinary system;
worms and parasites are removed;
the nervous system is strengthened, sleep, memory and attention are improved;
Abscesses, burns and inflammations are healed faster.

Container and packaging

Containers play an important role during storage. Most often, they use what is at hand: plastic containers or bags. You can use any type of container that suits the size and method of freezing. You can freeze pumpkin for the winter in puree form; for this you can use an ice tray or plastic glasses. In the second case, it is convenient to place plastic film on the bottom of the glass before placing the puree. This will make it easier to remove the product after defrosting.

When packing into bags, it is most convenient to give the filled package a flat shape. This way it will take up less space, and the semi-finished product will be more convenient to dose.

The best option for packaging is vacuum bags. Their first advantage is that no extraneous aromas or air in general enter the product, so it stays fresh longer. Secondly, frozen vegetables take up little space in the freezer. Pumpkin is usually packaged in small portions. This way you can avoid defrosting and spoiling an excess amount of product.

Is pumpkin frozen for the winter, and how does this affect its benefits?

The product is useful for improving digestion and the cardiovascular system.

Many people love the delicacy for its pleasant sweet taste.

It contains:

silicon;
vitamins C, D, A, E;
carotene necessary for the body;
glucose.

By regularly consuming this treat, you can improve your digestion and stop suffering from constipation. However, for the fruit to be beneficial, it must be stored correctly.

Pumpkin at home is traditionally stored in cellars at a cool temperature. This way she can stay there for about a couple of months. Also, pieces of the product are dried. Such storage methods are familiar to many people. However, with the advent of modern refrigerators that do not require constant defrosting, freezing raw materials for the winter has become accessible and popular.

Not everyone knows how to properly freeze a ripe pumpkin in the refrigerator for the winter at home. We must try to ensure that the vegetable retains all its nutritional value and does not lose its taste. Only ripe, without defects, harvests are selected for storage. The fruit must have a smooth surface. If the pulp inside is light, then the fruit is not suitable for harvesting. For storage, choose a fruit with a dry tail and thick skin.

The vegetable has a healing effect, but loses its beneficial properties when stewed for a long time; when frozen, the pumpkin retains all the necessary vitamins.

Of course, there will be slightly less useful substances in frozen form than in a fresh product. But the vegetable still does not lose its benefits in the freezer. Freezing pumpkin is a short and very simple process.

Does frozen pumpkin lose its properties?

It is worth noting that when properly frozen, almost all properties and beneficial vitamins are preserved in pumpkin. The main condition is proper storage and defrosting.

Does frozen pumpkin lose its properties:

The vegetable, depending on the method of preparation, can be added to salads, soups, muffins, pancakes, or even prepared as a puree for infants as a first complementary food. The amount of vitamins retained depends on the preparation method.
Most of them are preserved in fresh product, which is washed, cut into pieces and frozen fresh. There are fewer vitamins in pumpkin that is pre-boiled, baked or heat-treated before freezing.
There are many ways to freeze a vegetable for the winter, depending on what you plan to do with it.

Tips and tricks

To get the most out of frozen vegetables, there are a few tricks you should know. Follow the following recommendations and you will succeed:

Not all varieties of pumpkin are suitable for freezing . It is preferable to take elongated vegetables with bright pulp for these purposes. The best varieties are considered to be Butternut, Muscatnaya, Divo, Harlequin, Acorn, Gribovskaya, Gileya, Khersonskaya, Bylinka. Light, early varieties do not tolerate low temperatures.
Choose a pumpkin without defects on the skin . If the fruit begins to rot, then even at sub-zero temperatures it will continue to deteriorate. After harvesting, the pumpkin should be kept for a week at room temperature or in a dry cellar. This will remove excess moisture and prepare it for long-term storage.
So that after defrosting , pumpkin frozen raw is not watery, before freezing it is blanched in boiling water (3-4 minutes) or dried in the oven (5-10 minutes).
The most compact option for storing frozen pumpkin is puree in bags, laid out in layers.
The benefits of pumpkin dishes can be increased by adding butter or milk. Beta-carotene contained in vegetables is better absorbed with vegetable or animal fats. But this should be done already during the cooking process.
To get rid of excess moisture when frying frozen pumpkin, first salt it and leave it for 1-2 hours. After this, all that remains is to blot the vegetable with a paper towel.

When and how to freeze pumpkin?

Please note that the optimal time for harvesting vegetables for the winter is September-November. It is at this time that the fruits are very juicy, ripe and maximally saturated with vitamins.

How to freeze pumpkin:

In addition, such a vegetable is stored for a very long time, due to its saturation with useful substances and ripeness.
For harvesting, choose fruits that have no green spots on top and the tail is dry. In this case, it is necessary that the seeds are almost dry, and the pulp near the seeds is sluggish.
This indicates the ripeness of the fruit and its readiness for freezing. Grated, frozen pumpkin is usually added to pancakes or muffins. Before use, defrost at room temperature or administer frozen.

Suitable fruit is the key to success

First, select a sufficiently ripe product of any variety. It must meet the requirements:

small size;
elongated shape;
no visible cracks;
no darkening;
no dents;
dry root;
bright orange color of the pulp;
pleasant aroma.

It is then washed thoroughly under running water to remove any remaining soil or debris. Using a sharp knife, cut the vegetable in half. Remove the seeds with fibrous pulp. Wipe the resulting craters with a kitchen towel or napkin.

It is advisable to wash the seeds, dry them and eat them raw on an empty stomach. This is a wonderful method of fighting worms.

Preparation

How to freeze pumpkin for the winter at home? One of the stages of preparing pumpkin for storage is, of course, harvesting. We choose ripe fruit without visible damage . Cut the thoroughly washed vegetable in half and remove the seeds (then dry the seeds separately or fry them in the oven, turning them into a healthy delicacy). Next we proceed depending on the chosen freezing method.

If you decide to freeze it raw (in pieces or grated strips), then the pumpkin must first be peeled.

The peel of this vegetable is quite dense, so first cut off the top and bottom of the fruit with a knife, and then, placing it vertically on a cutting board, completely peel off the skin.

The peeled vegetable can also be steamed for 7-15 minutes . And if we are preparing puree (baked pumpkin is the most delicious), then it is better to separate the hard peel from the tasty pulp after baking (the pulp is easily scraped out with a metal spoon).

Methods for slicing raw product

Depending on the chosen harvesting method, cutting is done. Some housewives doubt whether it is possible to freeze pumpkin with peel to increase the volume of the product. Experienced cooks have noticed that when raw it is very tough, so it is better to remove it. To do this, cut the pumpkin into several parts and carefully remove the peel. Then chop:

cubes;
straws;
long stripes;
on a coarse grater.

Each housewife chooses an option that is suitable for her winter menu.

Preparation

Only fresh pumpkin is suitable for freezing, preferably straight from the garden. Stale and spoiled vegetables should not be frozen.

The pumpkin needs to be washed, cut and peeled. The seeds are also removed from it along with the slippery inside. As a result, only pulp should remain.

Pumpkin can be frozen raw or blanched. In the latter case, after defrosting it will be almost cooked, but there will be less vitamins left in it. The vegetable can also be boiled or baked in the oven.

Cooking helps to partially rid purchased fruits of nitrates.

Methods for freezing pumpkin

Freezing pumpkin is an effective way to preserve vegetables for the winter with minimal loss of valuable substances. Most vitamins (with the exception of vitamin C) remain in their original form.

Freezing raw fruit

First of all, remove the peel from the vegetable. Cut into cubes of various sizes. If the preparation is made for filling pies, small options are suitable. For preparing hot dishes, large sizes are allowed. Next, they are laid out on a countertop or cutting board covered with cling film. When the cubes are a little dry, put them in the freezer. After 30 minutes, the finished product is transferred to bags or special containers. The grated pumpkin is packaged and immediately placed in a chamber with a temperature of –18°C.

It is advisable to label bags of grated product. When frozen, they are very similar to carrots.

Divided into large parts

This is the easiest and fastest option for freezing pumpkin . Peeled and dried with a paper towel, the vegetable is cut into slices/sticks ranging in size from 2-3 cm in width and up to 10 cm in length. The pieces are laid out on a baking sheet or board and, covered with cling film on top, placed in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Then the frozen blocks are transferred to a container or bags and put back for further storage.

Attention! Pumpkin frozen in this way, after defrosting, is used for preparing pureed soups, porridges, stewing with meat and preparing side dishes.

Freezing in pieces

How to properly freeze pumpkin cut into pieces? It is necessary to cut the fruit into bars and cubes - their size depends on what dish the semi-finished product is intended for:

if you intend to use the blank for filling when baking, cut it into smaller pieces;
if the pumpkin is intended for boiling, use larger pieces.

It should be taken into account that the chopped pieces of pumpkin that are supposed to be stored together should be approximately the same size. Then they are laid out on some kitchen surface and allowed to dry a little from excess moisture. Pre-freeze in the same way as blanched pumpkin. Then they are packaged in bags in single portions.

The bags are lightly pressed, giving them a flat shape, and placed in the freezer. This method is perfect for preparing various milk porridges - rice, millet and even semolina.

Freezing after grating

The vegetable is cut into medium-sized pieces, which are then grated on a large or medium grater. The prepared mass is spooned into bags, leaving a small amount of air. The bags are slightly squeezed to make them flatter and placed in the freezer.

Pumpkin frozen in this way is usually used for casseroles, soups, as a filling for pumpkin pie, and even cooked in jelly.

In a vacuum

The product can also be frozen using a vacuum sealer . To do this, the vegetable is cut into large cubes/slices and placed in special bags for this device. In a vacuum, the workpiece is stored even longer than in conventional containers.

Preparing pumpkins for the winter

Freezing blanched pumpkin

Young mothers should know how to freeze pumpkin for the winter to feed small children. Since this product is an important ingredient for babies, it needs to be prepared in such a way as to preserve the beneficial elements. To do this, pumpkin is cooked in the following ways:

Boil water in a large container. Place the slices there for a few minutes. When they soften, take them out immediately.
Heat treatment in a microwave oven. Vegetable pieces are placed in a special bowl. Set to maximum power and cook for 15 minutes.
Using a steamer. For a quarter of an hour, the product is kept over steam. Place the finished pumpkin in a colander to drain the water.

Whatever cooking method is used, the main thing is to bring the fruit to a soft state. After this, it is crushed to a homogeneous consistency and placed in bags, cups or small containers. The cooled pieces are placed in the freezer.

It is advisable to freeze pumpkin for the winter to feed children in small containers in order to rationally use the product.

Storing Baked Pumpkin

As you know, pumpkin prepared in this way is considered a particularly healthy product. Even when frozen, it does not lose its properties. The fruit is baked in two ways: cubes or slices. In the first case, you need to remove the peel, in the second, the product is cleaned after heat treatment.

The finished pumpkin is crushed using a blender, masher or table fork. The puree is placed in small molds or silicone cups.

Try filling ice cube trays with pumpkin puree. After freezing, unpack the finished cubes into thick plastic bags.

For baby food

Is it possible to freeze pumpkin for the winter for baby purees? Pumpkin has a pleasant sweet taste and therefore children like it. It is well absorbed and is especially useful in the treatment and prevention of constipation . Contains B vitamins, magnesium, beta-carotene, iron, as well as phosphorus, silicon, vitamin C, carotene, glucose, and of course, vitamin D, which prevents the occurrence of rickets.

How to freeze pumpkin for complementary feeding ? Pumpkin for complementary feeding can be frozen either separately or as part of a vegetable mixture, adding diced zucchini, broccoli, carrots (we cut it smaller than the other ingredients, as it takes a little longer to cook). Once defrosted, this mixture can be used to make puree, and then, when the child grows up, a vegetable stew with the addition of meat and fish.

Is it possible to freeze baked pumpkin for the winter ? Baked pumpkin can be pureed immediately and frozen in individual portions. This is especially convenient for saving time, since further processing of the product after defrosting is not required.

Frozen pumpkin for the winter is an excellent addition to porridges , especially oatmeal, millet, rice and even semolina (we add pumpkin cubes during cooking without defrosting, and add the puree at the very end of cooking), a good component for baking (pies, muffins, pancakes, cookies, various fillings).

Grated pumpkin is good to add to casseroles and stews, soups, borscht, and cutlets. They also make jelly from pumpkin. Pumpkin can be dried, and dried pumpkin seeds are also very useful.

To prevent the pumpkin pieces from becoming too watery and flabby after defrosting, before freezing you need to let them dry a little in the open air, or even better, dry them in the oven . This will make them sweeter.

The most compact option for storing pumpkin is puree, frozen in layers in bags. In addition, this product will no longer require processing after defrosting.

We prepare excellent treats from frozen pumpkin

Before you start preparing the amber fruit, you need to properly defrost the ingredient. There are several basic rules:

Pumpkin pieces are immediately immersed in boiling water;
the finished puree is placed on the lower tier of the refrigerator for several hours;
a homogeneous mass of vegetables is defrosted in a microwave oven;
the grated product is added at the very end of cooking.

Let's look at popular recipes for frozen pumpkin for the winter, which are offered by experienced chefs.

Fragrant casserole

The dish is often served for breakfast or dinner. It has excellent taste and aroma. To prepare you will need ingredients:

0.5 kg frozen pumpkin;
juicy apples (200 g);
chicken eggs (2 or 3 pieces);
semolina (100 g);
granulated sugar (tablespoon);
butter (150 g);
a pinch of baking soda;
salt according to the cook's preference.

First you need to figure out how to cook frozen pumpkin for casserole to get an excellent delicacy. To do this, place it in hot water and boil until soft. Then the liquid is drained, salt is added and mashed with a masher.

Add grated apples, butter, semolina, and soda to the cooled puree. After this, the ingredients are mixed and poured with eggs beaten with sugar. The finished pulp is transferred to a baking dish covered with foil or special paper. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at a maximum temperature of 200° C.

Charlotte for dessert

For those who don’t know what can be made from frozen pumpkin, culinary experts offer a simple recipe for charlotte. To prepare it you will need the following products:

frozen pumpkin;
flour;
eggs;
sugar;
soda or baking powder;
salt to taste.

Prepare regular charlotte dough in a separate container. Next, a baking pan with high sides is covered with parchment. Pieces of frozen raw pumpkin are placed on the bottom. Vegetables are poured with the prepared dough. Bake in the oven at a temperature of approximately 180° C. Serve the dish for breakfast or dinner.

Practice shows that many dishes can be prepared from frozen pumpkin. The main thing is to get inspired, turn on your imagination and act. Let there always be on the table the amber “queen” of vegetables – Her Majesty – “Pumpkin”.

Packaging and storage

How to properly freeze pumpkin for storage? There is nothing complicated in this procedure, the main thing is to choose containers that are convenient for storage.

Usually used containers:

Plastic containers (special containers, containers for yogurt, sour cream, etc.).
Plastic bags, regular or special with a latch.
You can use any container of suitable size.

If we are packaging puree, then it is very convenient to place the bag before filling in some container with hard sides (for example, a plastic bucket), and then spoon (or pour) the pumpkin puree into the bag thus shaped.

The bucket reliably supports the shapeless bag and placing liquid puree in it becomes much more convenient.

Next, we release the air from the bag, leaving a little space for possible expansion of the pumpkin, tie it, remove it from our mold and give the tied bag a flat shape. This way its contents will freeze faster and be stored more compactly.

Prepared and cooled pumpkin puree is also pre-frozen in:

Molds for freezing ice cubes or silicone for baking. Once solidified, the resulting frozen portions are placed in a large bag or container for long-term storage.
Plastic cups. After freezing, their contents can be removed and placed in a common large container or bag. Or cover each cup with foil and then store it that way.

For convenience, prepared packages are signed, indicating the name of the product and the date of packaging . And then placed in the freezer and stored until use.

Can pumpkin be stored in the freezer for a long time?

Pumpkin frozen at a temperature of -18°C and below can be stored in the freezer for up to 10-12 months.

Reviews about pumpkin preparations

I freeze bars in single portions. It tastes the same as fresh, but it doesn’t look like it – it’s watery.
Nata
https://www.babyblog.ru/user/K_tya/3090039

They also froze at one time, raw - tasteless ((
Mishutka (Natasha+Misha=Moscow+Sevastopol)
https://www.babyblog.ru/user/K_tya/3090039

Definitely without skin! My mother-in-law once gave me a frozen one with the skin on. Be... You cook it, and then you scrape it off this skin... hot. Moreover, it’s a paradox - the child really likes pumpkin, but I’m already so tired of its smell that I don’t like to bother with it for a long time. Freeze without skin
Lena Mamaeva
https://eka-mama.ru/forum/part88/topic14304/message362696/

And I grind it in a food processor, it turns out almost puree, I put it in mayonnaise jars and freeze it. Then I cook porridge or make pancakes...
Aniram
https://eka-mama.ru/forum/part88/topic14304/message362696/

I cut it into cubes or grind it finely with a food processor and put it in the freezer, a lot at once... for the whole winter - into porridge, soup, sweet puree for children. everything is delicious!
Cherry
https://www.u-mama.ru/forum/family/cook/727710/
Read also: Preparing for the season: how to clean the pool after winter?

How to defrost?

To defrost the product at home, no special techniques are required. If it was prepared in cubes, you can simply add it to the intended dish during cooking. Boiling water, hot milk or broth will quickly do their job, and a great soup or porridge will end up on the table. To defrost puree or pumpkin from the oven, you can use the microwave.

Sometimes it is necessary to let the product defrost naturally. Then the container with pumpkin preparation removed from the freezer can be left overnight at room temperature, and you can start cooking in the morning.

You should always keep in mind that you need to defrost as much pumpkin as you need for the dish. This semi-finished product cannot be frozen and thawed again.

Why you should learn how to properly carve a hard-skinned pumpkin

Storage

One of the main advantages of such a pumpkin is, of course, the possibility of its long-term storage. Unpeeled whole melon can last for several months in a dark place at average temperature.

However, if the pumpkin is already “opened”, then it can be cut into cubes and frozen for an even longer time - the taste will not suffer at all.

The main thing is to solve the problem of hard peel and remove it with minimal losses.

Taste and aroma

There is an opinion that pumpkins with a hard skin are unsweetened, require long cooking and, in general, are more used as feed. They are simply chopped with an ax into pieces of the required size and given to livestock.

However, this is not quite true. In fact, the pulp of hard pumpkin is not inferior to, and even surpasses, many varieties of soft pumpkin in terms of taste.

They cook and stew for the same amount of time, but sometimes the taste of the hard one is much better: sweeter and more rich. And what a pumpkin flavor!

What to cook from frozen pumpkin: best recipes, tips

Pumpkin is an autumn vegetable that can be purchased in its fresh, natural form for a limited period of time. At the same time, there are so many dishes from it that it becomes a shame when all of them are available for only a few months. This vegetable is so versatile that literally everything is prepared from it, from appetizers and soups to desserts and baked goods.

Frozen pumpkin is not always available in the store. But cooking at home is fine. Let's assume that you have already prepared bags (portioned) and are just wondering what to make delicious from frozen pumpkin. But first you need to decide how to defrost it correctly. There are some nuances here.

Pumpkin puree soup

Recipes for making pumpkin puree soup are very simple. Even a housewife without culinary skills can prepare a tasty, appetizing, aromatic and healthy soup. To prepare, you will need a simple set of products, inexpensive and publicly available:

Frozen pumpkin.
Carrot.
Onion.
Potato.
Cream.
Fried bacon (optional).
Salt.
Rye crackers.
Spices.
Green onions.
Parsley.

Description of the cooking process

The recipe for making pureed pumpkin soup begins with chopping all the vegetables that are listed in the ingredients list. Pumpkin is an exception because it has already been diced before freezing. The onion is peeled and chopped into small cubes. Place all the vegetables, including onions, in the pan, add water, set the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes. When the vegetables are ready, they need to be transferred to a blender and chopped. If you use an immersion blender, you don’t have to remove the vegetables from the soup. Before mixing and grinding the vegetables in a blender, add your favorite spices. This frozen pumpkin dish goes great with dried ginger, nutmeg and allspice.

Place the ground vegetables back into the pan, add cream, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. The first course of pumpkin is served with aromatic rye croutons and crispy fried bacon.

Pumpkin porridge

Perhaps this is the second dish after soup that comes to the housewife’s mind when she hears the word “pumpkin.” This common dish is filling and very tasty.

Required ingredients:

260 g frozen pumpkin.
120 ml milk.
Salt.
Cinnamon.
Sugar.

How to cook

Pour the milk into the pan, put the pumpkin in there and add the rest of the ingredients. Add cinnamon, sugar and salt to taste and as desired. Cook over very low heat until the pumpkin begins to disintegrate into fibers. Now you can turn off the fire. Pumpkin porridge is served with a piece of butter and a spoon of honey.

There are several variations on the theme of “frozen pumpkin porridge.” In the classic recipe, let's call it the base, you can add several other ingredients: millet cereal, rice, semolina. Depending on the type of cereal you add, the taste of the porridge will change. And you can add sweet ingredients not only sugar, but also honey, jam or jam.

Cottage cheese casserole with pumpkin

This recipe can be used as a magic wand. The dish is prepared very quickly and is perfect for those moments when guests unexpectedly arrive. Frozen pumpkin casserole can be with the addition of apples, potatoes, rice, meat, semolina, and so on. This recipe uses cottage cheese.

Ingredients

320 g frozen pumpkin.
210 g full-fat cottage cheese.
Salt.
40 g butter.
Two eggs.
Two spoons of sugar.
A pinch of baking soda.
Three spoons of semolina.
Sugar.
70 g sour cream.

Cooking method

Knead the cottage cheese with a fork and mix with softened butter. Add sour cream and sugar to the mixture and mix. Beat in the eggs, add the semolina and mix thoroughly again. For this dish you will need grated frozen pumpkin. “Sunny Berry” is added to the penultimate queue. The last ingredient will be slaked vinegar. You can use apple or grape.

Lightly grease the prepared baking dish with butter, pour in the casserole dough and place in the oven. Oven operating time is 65 minutes. Temperature 170 degrees.

Candied frozen pumpkin

For preparation, you need to choose high-quality raw materials, that is, the pumpkin should be very tasty, with dense, smooth pulp, of a sweet variety. As a result of simple manipulations, you will get excellent healthy candies, a very healthy snack, and a delicious dessert for children.

You will need:

850 g pumpkin;
big lemon;
powdered sugar;
350 grams of sugar.

Peeled and seeded pumpkin pieces must be thawed at room temperature. It is very important to select identical cubes for preparing candied fruits. This way all the ingredients will be cooked at the same time. If the pieces are of different sizes, then some will be ready, while others will be undercooked. The lemon is cut into very thin half rings. It is necessary to enhance the main taste of pumpkin and add a slight sourness.

Place the defrosted pumpkin in a saucepan, where we mix it with sugar and lemon. We put it on fire. When the mixture boils, reduce the gas. Cook for 5 minutes. We are waiting for the pumpkin to cool down. As a rule, this is 8-10 hours. The minimum waiting time must be three hours. Now let’s bring the “sunny berry” to a boil again, cook for 5 minutes and turn it off again. 2-3 approaches are enough for the pumpkin to be completely saturated with syrup. At the same time, it will remain dense and keep its shape perfectly.

Add syrup. By the way, this is an excellent base for making marmalade, jam, liqueur, jelly or frosting for cupcakes. Place the pumpkin and lemons on a baking sheet. It is important that there is a small distance between the pieces. Turn on the oven to 100 degrees. Let's set the time to 4 hours. You can periodically turn on the fan or open the door. Of course, sometimes you can take a sample. Just don’t get carried away, let the delicious delicacy cook to completion.

Pumpkin pancakes

Prepared frozen pumpkin jam will go perfectly with pancakes baked using “sunny berries”. Baking can be made on a milk, kefir, sour cream, or yogurt base. To prepare this dish, it is better to use pumpkin that has been twisted in a meat grinder and frozen. By the way, if you add a few eggs and a spoonful of flour to this type of freezing, you will get magnificent pumpkin pancakes. If you have not yet decided what to cook from frozen pumpkin, our recipes will come in handy. We tried to select options in such a way that they involved different types of freezing. It is very convenient to make several versions of frozen pumpkin, which can then be used to prepare completely different dishes, from desserts to salads.

Ingredients

550 g pumpkin.
2 cups of flour.
Soda.
Lemon acid.
Salt.
Three eggs.
Sugar.
Oil.

Cooking method

Frozen pumpkin twisted through a meat grinder can be heated in the microwave by setting the timer for two minutes. This time will be enough for the “sunny berry” to reach the desired consistency. The water that is formed when defrosting the pumpkin is not poured out, but is used for cooking. Add soda. Add sugar and salt to taste. At this stage, you need to decide what to cook from the frozen pumpkin. If these are sweet pancakes, then add more sugar. If you need to prepare some kind of pumpkin cakes for meat or another dish, then add more salt and a small pinch of sugar.

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, add eggs, mix again. All that remains is to add flour, stir and start frying. It is recommended to heat the oil well in a frying pan, only then add the mixture to prepare the pancakes. As soon as the frozen pumpkin pancakes turn golden brown, turn them over. The sweet dessert can be served with jam or sour cream.

Pumpkin and kohlrabi stew

The dish is very healthy and easily absorbed by the body. All products can be found in the garden, and the vitamin complex, mineral salts and vegetable proteins included in its composition will provide the family with health, strength and energy.

What to take:

Peeled pumpkin – 300 g
Kohlrabi cabbage - 2 pcs.
Pepper (sweet), carrots, onions - 1 pc.
Garlic – 5 cloves
Vegetable oil)
Salt - to taste

How to cook:

To prepare the stew, it is better to use a thick-walled pan. Cut all vegetables: onions, carrots, pumpkin, cabbage and bell peppers into small cubes. Place the dishes on the fire and pour in the oil. When the oil is hot, add the vegetables, starting with the onions. Cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. At the very end of the process, about ten minutes before the dish is fully cooked, add salt and chopped garlic cloves. The ingredients are for four people.

Pumpkin salad with apple and carrots

A salad made from fresh vegetables is always welcome, and if it is prepared for a couple of minutes, it retains all its nutritional properties and will give a charge of freshness and vigor to both adults and children.

What to take:

Pumpkin (pulp) - 0.2 kg
Carrot, apple - 1 pc.
Olive oil – 30 ml
Lemon juice – 5 ml
Sugar, salt, spices - to taste

How to cook:

Peel the pumpkin from the peel and seeds, grate the pulp. Grate the carrots and apple as well, but the apple last, as the fruit quickly darkens. The salad dressing is very simple: mix lemon juice and oil and add to the chopped ingredients. Mix the resulting mass and leave for about fifteen minutes so that the salad is well soaked. If desired, add sugar, salt or spices to the dish.

How to prepare a vegetable for freezing?

You need to freeze pumpkin for the winter correctly; for this it is important to choose a fruit that is not yet overripe. Do not use pieces that have been in the refrigerator. It is better to give preference to whole fresh vegetables. You also need to make sure that the “tail” of the fruit is dry and free of rot.

The basis of preparation for freezing is cleaning and washing the vegetable:

Wash the pumpkin thoroughly in running water. They even use special liquid soap for fruits and vegetables. But you can do without it.
The vegetable is cut into pieces and the seeds and fibers are removed. It is convenient to use a tablespoon for this. Only the hard pulp is frozen.
Remove the crust.

Subsequent steps taken for freezing depend on what dish the particular pumpkin preparation will be used for.

Freeze as puree

Pumpkin frozen in puree form takes up much less space in the refrigerator than cut into pieces. Containers for puree can be plastic bags, ice cube trays, plastic glasses, and containers. It is better to place in a storage container such a volume of puree that will be optimal for one-time use. For baking, for example, 1 cup of puree is often used. You can also measure the required volume with a tablespoon.

Freezing instructions:

Cut the pumpkin into approximately 2cm cubes.
Boil in a saucepan.
Crush in any convenient way.
Place in storage containers and place in the freezer.

Frozen pumpkin puree is used to make pancakes, soups, pies, and is used in complementary feeding for children. In addition, pumpkin puree can help out if you don’t have eggs and really want to bake something.

What you need to carve a hard pumpkin

Pumpkin varieties suitable for long-term storage are distinguished by their rough skin. Sometimes it is as hard as a nut shell. During long-term storage, the peel hardens even more. Cleaning such a vegetable is very difficult and requires significant physical effort. Large-fruited varieties are especially difficult to cut. To cut hard-barked melon, you will need the following kitchen tool:

cutting board;
small knife;
vegetable peeler;
metal spoon or scraper;
massive knife.

Cutting board and large knife

Using a cleaver knife, you can cut the melon in half in one fell swoop. It is convenient to remove the fibers with seeds with a metal spoon or scraper. To make it easier to cut the vegetable into pieces, you first need to divide the halves into small chunks. They are cut lengthwise or crosswise using a heavy knife. You should act with extreme caution, because... It is easy to get hurt with a sharp bladed weapon.

Important!

Before cutting the melon vegetable, you should make sure that its position is completely stable.

Pumpkin is cut on a cutting board. It is chosen according to the size of the vegetable. It won't fit on a board that is too small. The fruit should lie completely on a flat surface. For cutting, take a fairly large, thick and heavy board. In this case, the furniture will be reliably protected even if the knife comes off. Do not try to cut the fruit with one hand, holding it at an angle or hanging.