Pumpkin - excellent, unpretentious dietary product that is well and long stored at home, without losing the original shape and a set of useful substances. You can store a pumpkin in a dark cellar at a temperature of + 15 degrees or dry it - this is a very compact way of storage.
But the most popular way of harvesting pumpkins for the winter is freezing. Whether it is possible to freeze a pumpkin in pieces, how to prepare a pumpkin for freezing at home and how to freeze it properly, we will look at in this article.
Is it possible to freeze the pumpkin
Sometimes you can hear the opinion that after thawing the pumpkin becomes almost inedible. In part, this is true, but only if you do everything wrong. If you freeze it just like carrots or zucchini, that is, just cut it into pieces and send it to the freezer, then the pumpkin will be watery and suitable only for making cream soup.
Therefore, in order to preserve the useful qualities of the pumpkin for the winter and to make preparations for various dishes, you need to follow a few simple rules for freezing this product.
Freezing raw pumpkin at home
If you want to keep the pumpkin harvest for the winter, you can freeze it in raw, boiled and baked form. You can freeze any variety of pumpkin, it should be ripe, but not overripe.
How to prepare a pumpkin for freezing
To freeze, be sure to take a whole pumpkin, and not a cut piece, which lay for some time in the market or in the refrigerator. Selected for freezing pumpkin thoroughly washed. Then you need to cut the pumpkin into two halves and cut out part of the pulp along with the seeds, since you can freeze only the hard part of the pumpkin.
Important! It is very important for a freezing to take a beautiful pumpkin of a good shape, strong, without damage, not rotted.
To freeze a pumpkin raw, you must first clean properly. To do this, put the pumpkin upright on a chopping board. Holding the pumpkin with one hand and the other, carefully cut off the peel with a sharp knife with one jerk to the base. Continue to cut the peel strips across the pumpkin, turning it.
Next, cut the pumpkin into the same cubes 2-3 cm, using a sharp kitchen knife with serrations. Spread pumpkin cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer so that they do not touch each other and do not overlap.
Since the pumpkin grows in size when frozen, if the cubes touch each other, they will eventually stick together. Send a baking tray with cubes in the freezer for a few hours so that the pumpkin freezes well.
You can freeze and fresh pumpkin, grated. This preparation is well suited for toppings, baking and pancakes. It is necessary to prepare the pumpkin in the same way as described above, grate it, put it in a plastic bag with a clasp and freeze.
Put in the package exactly as much as you need for a single use. Packages with the workpiece tamped to a flat shape and sent to the freezer.
Pumpkin packaging and freezing
After pumpkin cubes freeze, move them into a container for further storage. This may be plastic containers - containers, jars of mayonnaise, yogurt, etc. or plastic bags with a clasp. Put the packaged containers or bags with blanks in the freezer.
Important! Before freezing the pumpkin in the freezer, check whether you have left a couple of centimeters of free space in the container or bag with the workpiece. As the pumpkin freezes, increases in volume, a crowded bag may burst.A pumpkin frozen in this way can be stored for up to a year.
How to freeze the finished pumpkin
There are ways to freeze cooked pumpkin: boiled (blanched) or mashed. Many young moms ask questions about whether it is possible to freeze a pumpkin for a child and how to do it correctly. So, for use as a first feeding of children, it is recommended to freeze the finished pumpkin in the form of mashed potatoes.
Pumpkin is very well absorbed by the child's body and helps with constipation, and also has a sweet taste, which is very popular with children. Personally frozen pumpkin will save moms from searching for vitamins in the winter and the need to buy baby food of dubious quality.
How to cook a pumpkin for freezing
To freeze the blanched pumpkin, you need to prepare it the same way as for the raw freezing slices. Rinse, peel, cut into equal cubes or slices, spread them on a towel and let dry.
Then pumpkin blanched. To do this, put the pieces of pumpkin in a colander, immerse it in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then immediately place it in ice water. Then take out the pumpkin cubes and dry on a towel. Prepared pumpkin should be put on a baking sheet and sent to the freezer for several hours.
Now consider how to freeze the pumpkin in the form of mashed potatoes. Pre-washed pumpkin should be cut into cubes of 3 cm with the peel. If the pumpkin is very small, it can be cut into quarters or even halves.
Prepare a pumpkin for mashed potatoes in several ways: in the microwave, on the stove or in the oven. The main thing is to cook it so that it becomes quite soft and easily pierced with a fork.
For cooking pumpkins in the microwave Place the sliced pieces in a glass container filled with about 5 cm of water. Send to the oven and cook for 15-25 minutes at high temperature.
The exact time depends on the power of the furnace and the electrical voltage. Therefore, after the first 15 minutes, check the softness with a fork and, if necessary, increase the cooking time. For cooking pumpkin in the oven you need to lay out the pieces of pumpkin on a baking sheet and bake at 150 degrees for an hour and a half.
Did you know? Experienced cooks prefer pumpkin, frozen for the winter in the form of mashed potatoes, which is cooked in the oven. This allows you to save the best taste and not lose useful components, as can be when cooking.
If there is no oven, you can boil pumpkin for mashed potatoes. Boil 3 cm of water in a liter saucepan, add the chopped pumpkin and cook for 10-15 minutes, until it is soft. Peel and crush. This can be done with a fork or with a blender. As soon as the pumpkin has cooled, transfer it to the container for freezing.
Now consider how to cook and freeze pumpkin for feeding baby. For baby food The nutmeg pumpkin looks best: their flesh is sweeter, juicier and softer than that of other species. Pumpkin baked in the oven as described above.
Pure in a blender and after cooling, laid out in a container for freezing, leaving some free space. For baby food large portions are not needed, so large ice cream trays are well suited.
How to freeze cooked pumpkin
Blanched pumpkin cubes, well-frozen, are shifted into a bag with a clasp or plastic container and put into the freezer.
Pumpkin puree is shifted into bags with a clasp, plastic cups or buckets, covered with plastic wrap, if there are no covers, and sent to the freezer. Frozen pumpkin stored in the freezer for 10-12 months.
Did you know? The most convenient and compact way to store pumpkins in the freezer is mashed potatoes, frozen layers in packages.
How to eat frozen pumpkin (defrosting process)
Frozen pumpkin after storage in the freezer can be used to make salads, soup, mashed potatoes, cereals, sauces, pastries, pancakes.
Before eating pumpkin, frozen pieces, do not recommend thawing vegetable. It should be dipped in boiling water, broth or milk and cook until done. This will preserve its nutrients and taste.
Pumpkin Puree can be thawed in the microwave or in the refrigerator. Since the baked pumpkin is almost a ready dish, it is added to porridge or another dish at the end of cooking.
For baby food frozen mashed potatoes can be added to boiling milk or dissolved in hot porridge.
