# Dehydrated Pumpkin



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Question for the folks that have dehydrated pumpkin before ...

I have two recipes...

:bullit: first one said to - bake, slice and dry ?

:bullit: the second - bake, puree and dry ?

What works best for you ???


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## Beeorganic (Oct 11, 2011)

The only technique I've used (which is sucessful) is- Slicing, baking (water bathing), puree, then dehydrate. I grow the "Libby's" pumpkins (the same ones they use for their pies), which get to be the size of 5 gallon drywall joint compound buckets and technically considered a squash. They won't fit entirely into the water bath pan, so I have to slice them into big chunks first so they'll fit. I then follow the directions for dehydrating in the video link below.

Another technique- Dehydrate2Store.com | Videos


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Thanks, Beeorganic (neat video)

but I grow the long neck pumpkins ... they are around 3 ft long and not going to fit in a pot.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I baked several and then scooped and pureed and added a few spices and a bit of sugar (like pumpkin pie not super sweet) and then dried into leather.. it stays pliable but still dry.. like a good leather. Not a big fan but it was okay. 
I watched a show on cooking in Colonial Williamsburg and that is how they dried pumpkin and squash and when ready for to make a pie with it they would soak it in hot liquid(water to hard cider to regular cider) and simmer it till it looks like "canned/cooked" pumpkin and then they let it cool and added cream and eggs to make the pie... But it is a learning curve for sure.. even on the show they said that they had lots of mistakes before learning exactly how much of what to make a whole pie.* But I'm sure after a few times of trying it would become easier to "judge" "how much"..

*I have a few really old recipe books and I have to say it is hard to decipher them .. Like what is a "cook in a Medium hot oven" that kind of thing.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

If I remember right, a medium hot oven was 300 or maybe 350 ... I will have to check and see.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

*Andi said:


> If I remember right, a medium hot oven was 300 or maybe 350 ... I will have to check and see.


LOL I should have noted that I personally know what that means and just meant it as an example.  
A few of the recipes say.. just add your spices and mix.. but it has no list of spices in the ingredients.. lol
So many of them just assumed that you know how to cook in a wood burning oven and that you usually have to turn the foods a few times to keep the hot spots from burning a side.. lol


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## LilRedHen (Aug 28, 2011)

*Oven temps for wood stoves*



Emerald said:


> *I have a few really old recipe books and I have to say it is hard to decipher them .. Like what is a "cook in a Medium hot oven" that kind of thing.


Emerald,
I am fortunate to have my grandmother's cook book which came with her wood stove (wish I had the wood stove too) and it has a chart of Oven Temperatures.

Slow oven = 250 to 325 degrees
Moderate oven = 325 to 400 degrees
Quick or hot oven = 400 to 450 degrees
Very hot oven = 450 to 55 degrees

This has helped me in reading some of those old recipes.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

LilRedHen said:


> Emerald,
> I am fortunate to have my grandmother's cook book which came with her wood stove (wish I had the wood stove too) and it has a chart of Oven Temperatures.
> 
> Slow oven = 250 to 325 degrees
> ...


Awesome! I included this information with the Food Weights and Measures you posted earlier. Thanks again! :2thumb:


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## LilRedHen (Aug 28, 2011)

Ezmerelda said:


> Awesome! I included this information with the Food Weights and Measures you posted earlier. Thanks again! :2thumb:


You're welcome. How about some of those old receipes you mentioned?


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## Idaholady (Apr 24, 2010)

Here's a recipe I found when looking to dry pumpkin; I would puree your own pumpkin instead of buying the canned pumpkin, much tastier. The recipe has been in my recipe collection for some time and I haven't tried it yet, but hopefully will before fall is over.

Pumpkin Pie Bark for Backpackers and Campers
How to Make Pumpkin Pie Bark: 

Combine one 15 ounce can of pumpkin with ¼ cup of maple syrup and two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. I use real maple syrup, not the fake stuff. Stirring is fine… no need for a blender. 

Spread thinly (about eighth inch) on dehydrator tray covered with Excalibur Paraflexx® sheet, parchment paper, or plastic wrap. 
Dehydrate at 135° for eight hours until brittle. After about five hours, flip the bark over using the “flip-trick” as follows: Place a spare dehydrator tray on top of the Pumpkin Pie Bark and flip the two trays over so that the bottom side of the Bark is now facing up. 

This will ensure complete drying. 

Yield: One 15 ounce can of pumpkin barks down to 1 ½ cups weighing four ounces. 

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

Ingredients: 
•	½ cup Pumpkin Pie Bark 
•	½ cup water 

On the Trail: 
Pumpkin Pie Bark dissolves in hot or cold water. If you want hot pie, heat the water in your pot first, and then stir in the Pumpkin Pie Bark until creamy. 
Garnish with chopped walnuts or pecans if desired.


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## whome (Oct 6, 2011)

This won't help you this year, but if you can get a copy of THE RESILIENT GARDENER by Carol Deppe it has an interesting part on drying pumpkins and squash. I didn't grow pumpkins this year, but I'm going to try it out next year.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I dry alot of pumpkin and other winter squash. I split them open, scrape the seeds out(which I dry and keep for snacking), slice(with peels still on), and then dehydrate them, no cooking involved. This works well for soups, baked dishes, and pies. I also cook them, add sugar and spices then dehydrate into "Pumpkin Leather". My daughters and grandson are quite fond of it this way, and it also works well for making pies.

We have about 5, 5 gallon buckets of dried pumpkin stored for the SHTF preperation or the "holidays" as my daughters call it.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I just started processing my heirloom pumpkin and dehydrating destroyed their delicate flavor so I took the Baking advice, cut em open baked them in a moderate oven, scooped out the pulp and canned it. The flavor survived the canning and I will add that procedure to my recipes.

Thanks for the replies about baking.


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