In Season: Minnesota Grown Pumpkin

Roasting a pumpkin isn't the hard part – it's cutting it open. First, you'll want to start with the right kind of pumpkin: a sugar pumpkin (sometimes called a pie pumpkin) that weighs about 3 ½ - 4 lbs. Anything smaller or larger than that is okay, but you'll need to adjust the suggested cooking time down or up to accommodate the variable weight.

Pumpkin is cooked the same basic way you would cook a butternut or acorn squash. Scrape out the seeds and fibrous strands from a halved pumpkin. (Be sure to save the seeds for roasting as a snack!) Drizzle the inside with oil and season the flesh with salt and pepper. Roast the halves cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a preheated 400° oven until it's fork tender (55-60 min., depending on size).

You can also cut the pumpkin into small wedges. They'll take a little less time to cook (about 40 min.).

You can eat the cooked flesh as a delicious side dish or use it in recipes as you would with any of your other favorite squash.

If you're using the pumpkin for a sweet dish, be sure to use a neutral oil and no salt or pepper. If you want to make pumpkin purée (for use in a pie, perhaps), scoop out the flesh and cool slightly before puréeing in a food processor. Drain the purée for 8-48 hrs. in a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl in the refrigerator. This will remove excess liquid.