What to do with leftover pumpkin
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EmailWhy not make a pumpkin leather with the leftover pumpkin?
Holiday baking has been busy. But there is leftover pumpkin and no freezer space. Why not make pumpkin leather with the leftover pumpkin?
Michigan State University Extension recommends that all utensils, food preparation surfaces, cutting boards be washed, rinsed and sanitized before preparing any food.
A pumpkin leather can be made in either an electric food dehydrator or an oven. If an electric food dehydrator is used, the temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit will be needed to dry the pumpkin puree. Use the specially designed liners for the drying trays to make the pumpkin leather.
If the oven is used to dry the pumpkin leather, the temperature needs to be at 140 F. If the oven does not go this low, the pumpkin will be cooked and not dried. Another adaptation for the oven is that the oven door will need to be propped open 2 to 6 inches too allow the water vapor to escape. To aid in the air circulation, a fan needs to be positioned outside the oven door to help drive the water vapor out of the oven.
Check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s recipe for pumpkin leather.
To test for doneness, touch the center of the leather, no indentation should be left. It should not be sticky. While the leather is still warm, it can be peeled off the plastic liner and rolled. Allow the leather to completely cool before wrapping it for storage. Children may enjoy making fun shapes with cookie cutters. When cool wrap the fun shapes in plastic wrap.
For storage, the pumpkin leather will last up to one month at room temperature. For longer storage, place the wrapped pumpkin rolls in the freezer for up to one year.
