This is my favorite method of preserving squash and pumpkin. Pre-cooked, mashed and frozen in vacuum seal bags. Regular freezer bags will work.

I freeze mine in two and four cup sizes to match my recipes. You can adjust for any recipes you use on a regular basis.

If you just want some squash, simply thaw and heat it up in the microwave.

Personally I like to bake my pumpkins, however you can also boil or even microwave them until they are done.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350

Step 2: Line a large baking sheet with parchment or tin foils to help trap the liquids.

Step 3: Slice enough pumpkins to fill your tray in half and scoop out the guts, don’t forget to put some seeds away to dry for next year, or to roast/eat.

Step 4: Place the pumpkin halves, skin side up on the pan and bake for about an hour or until a fork can easily penetrate them.

Step 5: Remove and let cool a bit (until you can handle them), then scoop out the flesh from the skin into a large bowl.

Step 6: Mash, blend, food process the flesh until it’s a nice puree or desired consistency.

Freezing

Freezing is simple, simply scoop the pumpkin into bags, seal and freeze. Freezer Ziploc bags are great but I take it one step further with vacuum sealing. The trick is to freeze it in amounts you will use most often. My two primary recipes call for 2 cups, so I freeze it in 2 cup packages. If you have one recipe at 1 cup, one at 2, freeze in 1 cup packages.

Bags I find are best as they can be flattened as the air comes out of them for easy storage in the freezer. With vacuum sealing don’t forget to use the moist setting and watch the juices – if they get to mobile and start entering the machine, simply press the seal button.