Pumpkin and other types of winter squash are safe to can - easy to can, too, if you know a few tricks of the trade! Remember, all winter squash (including pumpkin, a type of winter squash) can only be home canned using a pressure canner. (The exception is if you're using a tested safe pickled pumpkin/winter squash recipe; there's one in The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The inclusion of the correct amount of vinegar makes it safe for water bath canning.) 

In addition, winter squash can only be home canned in cubes; years ago, Ball tested their pumpkin puree recipe and found it wasn't consistently safe. Winter squash purees are too dense to can reliably at home and have all the contents of the jar reach the correct temperature for killing off all harmful microorganisms. The good news is, you may safely can chunks, then make puree from them upon opening the jar. Chunks are also great for making winter squash mash, or you may gently reheat the chunks in the oven or microwave to eat that way.

How to Can Pumpkin & Other Winter Squash:

You may wish to begin by reviewing my post on using a pressure canner. 

1. Scrub the outside of the squash well, to reduce the bacterial load of the food in the jars.

2. Cut the squash in half and, using a metal spoon, scrape out the seeds and stringy pulp. (Set the seeds aside on a plate to dry; they can be roasted for a tasty snack. The stringy pulp can be fed to livestock or thrown into your compost pile.)

Remove the seeds and stringy insides of the winter squash.

 3. Peel the squash. I use a wide vegetable peeler, similar to this one. For my Winter Luxury pie pumpkins (which are a smaller type of pumpkin), I found it easiest to quarter the pumpkins and then peel. For larger winter squash, you might find peeling easier if you divide the vegetable into even more pieces first.

Peel the winter squash.

4. Cut the squash into approximate 1 inch cubes. I do this by first slicing the squash lengthwise, then cutting these 1 inch wide slices into chunks.

Slice the winter squash into 1 inch lengths.

Cut the slices into 1 inch cubes.

5. Blanch the squash cubes by putting them in boiling water, then allowing the water to come to a boil again. (If it doesn't boil again within 1 minute, you've added too much squash.) Beginning with the reboil, allow the squash to cook for 2 minutes, then immediately remove from the pot. DO NOT plunge into ice water!

6. Place hot squash cubes into a hot canning jar, leaving 1 inch headspace. Top each jar with boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Bubble, wipe rims clean, and put on a lid and screwband.

Leave 1 inch headspace.

7. When all the squash is in jars, process pints for 55 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes. (Read this important information about adjusting canning times for altitude.) 

Tips:

* Do NOT use this recipe for summer squash.

 * Don't be tempted to bake the winter squash in order to get the shell off more easily. It's important not to over-cook the squash before canning it, as this may cause a density issue that will make your finished product unsafe.

* If you wish, prepare the squash up to the cubing step, then place the cubes a covered container in the fridge and can them the next day.

* Don't over- or under-blanch. Review the guidelines for blanching here.

* Keep the squash hot after blanching it, as it should go into the jars hot. The easiest way to accomplish this and not end up over-cooking the squash is to work in batches.

* The boiling water added to the jar may either be the same water you blanched the squash in (per The National Center for Home Food Preservation) or fresh boiling water (per Ball). If you choose to use fresh water, it's nice to use an electric kettle to boil it, as this keeps your stovetop burners free.

* This is a longish processing time, so it's smart to add a little extra water to your pressure canner so it doesn't run dry. (Running dry may damage your canner and would require the food be completely reprocessed.) Just don't allow the water to go over the tops of the jars, as you would with water bath canning.

* To use your home canned winter squash to make pie, drain off the liquid. You may also wish to let the cubes sit in a colander or sieve placed over a bowl for several hours, to get them thoroughly drained. Then, puree the squash using a blender or food processor. You may use the puree just like you would store bought pumpkin puree.

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