Blue Hubbard "Cheese"

A "Cheese" of Blue Hubbard Squash puree

Squash juice.... maybe I should call it "tea" and it is more appetizing? 

So, I just steamed 1/4 of a 32lb blue hubbard squash... Yes, 8lbs.... . Then I mashed it with my handy fork, and oh my goodness, what a wet sloppy mess that was. The last two pies I baked with this mix took 2x the normal baking time.

Then I remembered how to make yogurt cheese- just add some herbs to plain yogurt, dump it into a clean handkerchief, hang and drain.... could it work for squash too?

So I decided to make a "cheese" of the steamed squash. I lined a colander with a clean handkerchief, and put the pureed pumpkin into it. Wow, did it drain! Amazing!  Then I tied the handkerchief and hung it by some twine and let the water drain into a bowl. Wow did it drain more! Totally amazing the amount of water in steamed pumpkin! I have the other 1/4 in the oven baking at 350 F. (our oven is from the US, so it cooks in F, not C.)

I wonder how long I should suspend this "cheese" of squash. Overnight seems excessive, but 20 min in, it is still draining pretty steadily....
The pyrex measuring cup was up to 500ml when I decided I needed to do something- and thus the Squash-Sweet Potato cocktail was invented (don't try this at home, it really isn't that tasty).
I took 150ml of the squash and added 50ml of 60 proof imo-jouchu (distilled sweet potato liquor) to it. The fruity blend of the..... forget it. It is not a good drink. Might be better with a cleaner liquor like vodka.
Maybe as a hot breakfast tea.... without the liquor of course!

I turned off the oven, the rest of the squash should be tender by morning.... I hope!