I have a 30+ lb Musquee de Provence - sort of like a pumpkin, so I am looking for something to do with this. I have heard that it is not a good thing to can at home (solid things like that don't always get evenly hot throughout), and I am looking into dehydrating it, as I really don't want to use that much of my freezer space for squash (in fact, I have to empty it out a lot, for that cookie dough coming soon!). Anyone have any experience with this? Maybe blanch slices briefly in an ascorbic acid bath, or if very fibrous (as some pumpkin is), cook, put through a mill, and make a sort of fruit leather?

Dave

I know that the native people of this area used to dry winter squashes for later use. Unfortunately, I don't know how they did it. I'm assuming it had something to do with a drying rack and fresh air. I will also be interested to hear if anybody has experience with this!

My Grandmother says this how she drys pumpkin.

Drying: Wash, peel and remove fibers and seeds from pumpkin or squash flesh. Cut into small, thin strips. Steam for four to six minutes or until translucent. Drain and pat dry. Dry the strips in a dehydrator until brittle. To reconstitute, use one cup of dried food to two cups of water. Pre-soak for one hour and then boil until tender. One cup of dried pumpkin or squash is enough for one pie

snoopy57

Why not just store it whole in a cool, dry place? Squash and pumpkin keep for months that way. Or are you stocking up for nuclear winter?

I dried mine the way snoopy's grandma did. Just put the last slices into the dehydrator.

I'm looking forward to lots of pumpkin soup this winter.

mindwing

yes, i have had experience too, whith the long life of shelved pumpkin. I realize that is not what you asked...

I have some others in the cellar already, but as soon as I cut into a 35 lb squash, I know I am going to have to do something with most of it, as I will be using very little of it at once! And this is not quite ripe, so I am not sure how long it will last, compared to those others that were totally ripe.

I have since gotten another catalog with the seeds for Musquee de Provence, which gave the growing season...125 days! Probably would not have bought it if I had known that, but that's probably why the other company didn't give that info!

Dave