If you’ve followed along on our instagram, you know this was our first year with a full garden. One of the things I enjoyed watching grow the most, was our garden squash. Of course all of our garden squash vines were completely destroyed by pests pretty early on, but not before I got plenty of pumpkins! Now many of mine were quite small due to the vines that died prematurely, but I kind of loved the miniature size pumpkin decor, it’s cute!

I love a beautiful front porch pumpkin display as much as anyone. But we have far too many free range birds for that at our house. So aside from the few pumpkins I have sprinkled around our house, I have dozens to put up on the shelf. Today I’m going to show you how to (safely) can your pumpkin, or squash! But first…. there are a few simple ways that don’t involve canning or any special equipment.

Basement storage:

Pumpkins, squash, and most root vegetables do well for months, if they’re stored in a cool, dry place. It’s also important that they have minimal light exposure. So first up, I picked the best, blemish free squash, and stored them in our basement. We’d love to build a proper cold room in the future. But for now, it’s good enough! A little light won’t hurt, you just may get a slightly shorter life span.

Next up, we’re going to freeze some pumpkin. This method is so simple, and requires no special equipment.

Freezing your pumpkin

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Cut your the stem off your pumpkin or squash, then cut it down the center
Remove the seeds + guts
Drizzle with olive oil and salt (Optional,) and roast face down for 30-40 minutes
Remove them from the oven and let them cool
Discard the skins and place the flesh of the squash in a food processor or blender
Pulse until smooth
Place the puree in any freezer safe container, and freeze!

Okay now onto the next method…… canning!

Now before you freak out, let’s discuss the safety of this. If you’re going to can pumpkin, you have, have, have to use a pressure canner. I use this one, or this one from ForJars is a great option if you prefer a stove top version.

Another important safety note…. You cannot safely can pumpkin puree. I know, it’s a bummer. But you cannot properly achieve the high temperature needed at home. You can read more about it here. We recommend canning in 1 inch cubes. So if you promise to follow the rules, here are the steps:

Canning your pumpkin

Wash your canning jars and lids with warm water and soap (I like to use pints here, you can also use quarts)
Bring a large stock pot full of water to a boil. I use this one
Prepare your pressure canner according to its instructions, and being warming your jars
Starting with your raw pumpkin or squash, cut them in half
Remove the seeds and guts and discard
Now peel your squash/pumpkins (I have found that a simple veggie peeler like this can handle most pumpkins. If the skin is too thick, you can slice the skin off with a knife!)

example of a pumpkin being peeled with a vegetable peeler

Once peeled, dice your squash up into one inch squares
Place the 1 inch squares into your pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, just enough to warm them through. I like to use this strainer to lower them into the pot easily
Remove your warmed jars from your canner, and pack them to one inch head space with the squash squares (Avoid smashing the chunks too hard when packing your jars)
Fill the rest of the jar with the remaining boiling water from your stock pot
De-bubble your jars and ensure you still have 1 inch head space
Gently wipe the rims of your jars
Place your clean lids on the jars and place the rings on fingertip tight (No tighter or they’ll buckle in the canner, a prime example here)
Place your jars in the canner and process 55 minutes for pints, at 15 pounds pressure, or 90 minutes for quarts at 15 pounds pressure

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My digital pressure canner
My favorite stove top canner, you can save 10% with code acresandaprons10
Where I get my canning lids, you can save 10% with code acresandaprons10
My favorite stock pot
I order my canning jars here

Canning pumpkin

How to safely can your garden pumpkins

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1 30

Equipment

1 pressure canner
1 large stock pot
12 pint size mason jars
12 canning rings and lids

Ingredients

2 Pumpkins
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Wash your canning jars and lids with warm water and soap (I like to use pints here, you can also use quarts)
Bring a large stock pot full of water to a boil
Prepare your pressure canner according to its instructions, and begin warming your jars (Mine has a warming function I will let the jars sit on until I'm ready to use them)
Starting with your raw pumpkin or squash, cut the stem off, then cut it in half down the center
Remove the seeds and guts and discard
Remove the peel of your squash/pumpkins (I use a veggie peeler, If the skin is too thick, you can slice the skin off with a knife!
Once peeled, dice your squash up into one inch squares
Place the 1 inch squares into your pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, just enough to warm them through.
Remove your warmed jars from your canner, and pack them to 1 inch head space with the squash squares (Avoid smashing the chunks down too hard when packing your jars)
Fill the rest of the jar with the remaining boiling water from your stock pot
De-bubble your jars and ensure you still have 1 inch head space
Gently wipe the rims of your jars
Place your clean lids on the jars and place the rings on fingertip tight
Place your jars in the canner and process 55 minutes for pints, at 15 pounds pressure, or 90 minutes for quarts at 15 pounds pressure
Once complete, leave your jars on the counter for 24 hours and then remove the rings
Check the seals and ensure they have all sealed. If mine don't seal I will usually throw them in a freezer safe container. You can also reprocess them for an aditional 55/90 minutes.