I'm no expert, but the last time I cooked pumpkin, I had a similar experience. I ended up putting it in a muslin towel and dripping some of the extra liquid out of it before using it in pies. I wonder if some varieties are more watery than others.

If you didn't use pie pumpkins, usually they turn out that way. I think they must use some pretty solid pumpkins when canning them commercially. Go ahead and can your pumpkin, and use it. Your stuff will turn out just fine.
I canned my own pumpkin last year and still have some left, but mine turned out like that and it hasn't messed up a recipe yet.
I went on a big pumpkin kick last year and made pies, breads, casseroles, cookies and everything I could think of out of pumpkin because I got 200 of them to sell at the greenhouse.

I did use pie pumpkins this year...last year was worse when I used a regular pumpkin...cooked it wrong and all sorts of other good stuff. What a mess.

Okay...that's good to know it normal to be pretty wet.

Thanks again ya'll!
Laura

I don't think it is approved to can pureed pumpkin anymore. (Kinda like pumpkin butter.) The only canning instructions are for canning cubed. There have been other discussions about it in the forum.

The water content of home-grown pumpkin can vary significantly. As Melly said, canning puree is not recommended. There are significant density issues and all instructions have been pulled out of the Ball Blue Book and off Extension sites.

I don't grow pumpkins. I switched to Hubbard squash, which makes the most fabulous "pumpkin" pie, breads, soups I've ever tasted. Plus, of course, it's great as a roasted/baked vegetable. I'm a convert.

Carol

I always freeze my pumpkin. I just peel it, cut it into chunks, and cook it on top of the stove until soft, kind of like potatoes. I usually let it sit in the strainer for while before bagging it, and then once it's thawed for use, you'll find it very runny again. Once again, I throw it in the strainer, then puree it in the blender if I want a nice smooth product. I like it smooth for pie, but kind of like it chunky and a bit moister for pumkin loaf - I guess it depends on your recipe.
Connie

I just store my Butternut squash whole, then cook as needed for pie, roasted vegetable or whatever. You could do the same with Pumpkin (of course, it too late for this batch..darn it). I've also made pies from Acorn squash.

You could cook it down some in the oven if you prefer a thicker puree. Just freeze it, rather than canning it for all the reasons stated above.

Deanna (still eating LAST years Acorn squash)

Hope it's not to late to add my two cents. The past two years I've purchased long neck pumpkins for puree. But, not going to this year unless I can find cheap pumpkins. I cut each in half (length wise) & scooped out the seeds and membrane and baked until soft & cooled. Then peeled off the peel, put through my folly mill and then strained overnight in a large collander with a bowl of water on top to speed the straining. Then I measured qty's for pies & breads and put in ziplock baggies and froze. This worked out great. I also made pumpkin/apple butter but froze that and just defrosted it after 2 years and it tastes like it did the day I froze it...I think.

I hadn't planned on canning (I only have BWB right now)...was just going to pop most of it in the freezer since I hear it freezes well ;)

Sounds like I get to do alot of straining!

Oh well...now that I know that it is normal to be pretty "wet" I can make sure to give myself time to strain the extra water out :)

Thanks everyone!
Laura

Yes, at this point you just need to leave it set in the sink in a colander overnight. Next time you might try splitting the pumpkins in half and baking them cut-side down so some of the liquid seeps away while baking.

Most commercial canned "pumpkin" is actually squash so it is kinda hard to get real pumpkins to turn out like the commercial canned stuff.

I use "kobota" squash, slice them in half, scoop out the seeds (and toss them on the compost pile in hopes they will make more "pumpkins" later) and then bake the halves cut side down on a buttered cookie sheet. Once they are real soft, then they get smushed and made into pie or soup or buttered and eaten like mashed potatoes.

Hmm, wonder how a "pumpkin salad" would be? Make it like a potato salad - the kind where folks use mashed potatoes instead of potato chunks. Might be interesting.

Cooking pumpkins whole keeps steam from being released...so, it stays watery. Cutting them in half, and baking them on racks over a roasting pan lets the steam (water) escape.

I remember the first time I took the notion in my head to make a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin instead of a can! I didn't know that there were varieties better for pies than Jack 0'Lanterns, so I just used the regular pumpkin from the big bins in front of the store.

I'd never seen a gray pumpkin pie before! It was quite tasty, but had an odd, grainy texture and the color just was not appetizing!

Just made a wonderful soup with my first pumpkin of the season. I cut out the lid like a jack-o-lantern (saved the seeds and roasted them, as per order from the kids!)and scooped out all the mush. Put in 1/2 cup cheese, broth, some garlic puree I had, and a few bits of bread. Baked in the oven an hour and a half. Add a little white wine and scrape the sides into the soup, using the pumpkin as the serving bowl. Very good!
I'd leave the bread bits out next time as it made the soup pretty thick. Cream is also used to finish this kind of soup.

I put up pumpkin most every year. I started doing it when the markets used to actually give them away after halloween. To my mind, throwing food away is a downright sin, considering all the hungry people in the world.

I cut mine in half, put them on cookie sheets and bake them. I don't time them at all, but they're done when they start to turn brownish and dry a bit. Then I scoop out the seeds and put them through the foley. They're kind of a pain, due to the course fibres clogging up the foley a lot. One year, I just put the chunks in the food processor instead and let it rip.

Last year, there was no water issue at all. Some years there is. Often I just put all the pureed pumpkin in a huge stoneware bowl and sit it in the fridge. By the next morning, any water what wants to separate has and I just pour it off. Then I freeze it in plastic tubs enough to make two pies each.

I find that it is a lot more moist than commercially canned pumpkin, but suspect that has been centrifuged or somehow boiled or steamed down. I just decrease the amount of canned milk I put in my pies. If the pumpkin has been baked properly, it won't go 'grey' on you. My homemade pumpkin pies look little different than the ones I have made with commercially canned pumpkin.