I bought 7 huge pumpkins from a gardener two weeks ago. The idea was to store them in the basement, and eat them as soup during the winter.
However, sadly, they have started to rot. (I asked a related gardening question here, it seems to be a fungus from the field.) I need to cut them up, remove the rotting parts, and do something with the good parts right now, otherwise they will be lost. I know no pumpkin-lovers to give them away to, so I would like to continue to store them somehow.
I have the possibility of putting them into cold storage at about 7°C (ca. 44°F). However, I fear that even there, they will go stale relatively quickly if I just cut them into pieces and do nothing further. I have very little space in the freezer, not nearly enough to take them all.
Is there anything I can do with the good pieces that lasts a long time either in cold storage, or (ideally) at room temperature? I'm open to everything, any kind of processing into whatever.
One thing I thought about was pesto – I've seen some very oily pumpkin pesto recipes that actually work with the pulp itself, not only the seeds like most recipes. I'm not sure about the resulting product's shelf life, though. Would the oil make it last longer?
Suggestions would be very welcome, as it would be a shame to let these beautiful vegetables go to waste.
Best Answer
I think once the outer skin is compromised, your room temperature storage options go out the window.
Your best bet is to puree the pumpkin pieces, and freeze it. Not ideal, I know, but if you don't want the pumpkin to go to waste, that's probably your option.