USVI-On-Line

Has anyone ever used "real" pumpkins to make pumpkin pie? I am trying to cook the pumpkin and put it in freezer bags to save, and it's not going very well.

My grandma told me to just mush it up with a potato masher, but the instructions I found on the Internet said to puree it in the blender or a food processor. Neither is going very well...

Anyone have any suggestions?

My mom always told me there were pie pumpkins and jackolantern pumpkins and you can't make pies from the second.

Waterguy...I was wondering why a newspaper add I saw this morning for a grocery store referred to the pumpkins that were on sale as "carving pumpkins".

I tried using fresh pumpkin for pie one time. I remember it was rather watery and didn't have as much flavor as canned pumpkin, but it was passable.

What I really liked to do was save the seeds and fry them well in a frypan with some margarine and salt until crisp. So much better than pumpkin seed snacks you buy.

I do, and it makes a BIG difference!

First you'll want to make sure you have a sugar (or pie) pumpkin; they're smaller and a bit darker orange than carving pumpkins. The produce market or grocery store will probably keep them in the same area as the butternut and acorn squash (if you can't find one, a butternut squash is a good substitute).

I cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake, shell side down (looks like a bowl) it in a baking pan with an inch of water in the bottom. Bake until you can easily insert a fork into the meat of the pumpkin. After the pumpkin is cool, scoop the meat out of the shell and run it through a food processor until it is the consistency of baby food (it will not be as thick or as dark as canned pumpkin). You can store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Let me know how it goes - enjoy!

Lulu, the first year I was married I offered to take pumpkin pies to my inlaws for Thanksgiving. I bought pumpkins, baked them, mashed them, and made my pies. It was a real mess, and I hated every minute of it. But, imagining how good they would taste and how impressed my new family would be, I forged ahead. When I arrived, I discovered my MIL had purchased the store variety. When it came time for dessert, guess which pies were eaten? The MIL's. Mine weren't even sliced. I ended up carrying them back home.

Now, to answer your question, mine really didn't taste any better than the pumpkin pie made from the canned pumpkin. Maybe it was my recipe or the type of pumpkins I used. I didn't even know there were pie pumpkins and jack-o-lantern pumpkins until I read this thread. But I swore I would never go to so much trouble for so little satisfaction again.

Let us know how yours turn out and good luck.

Well, these are cushaw pumpkins which I got from the Amish farmers in our farmer's co-op. My grandma says they will make delicious pies, but I'm afraid they will be disaster.

However, in retrospect, I will be getting those 89 cent cans of pumpkin for next time. (And might this time if I don't like how these turn out!)

Hi Lulu, check this link out, it has detailed instructions on how to turn a pumpkin into puree, and gorgeous photos too!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008 ... kin-puree/

That's helpful. I might try it a little bit at a time in my food processor, although my co-worker downstairs who's also in the farmer's co-op told me that she used a hand-held blender she got at Walgreen's for 10 bucks. She said that she's never had much luck with the puree function on a regular blender. Even though mine is a pretty fancy-pants computerized blender, it just wouldn't puree the stuff.

Lulu you did cook the pumpkin first didn't you? My mom used to use the carved pumpkin for pie but I know she cut it up and boiled it before mashing.

Oh yeah, I roasted it in the oven. Aside from taking hours, that was the easy part!

verjoy wrote:What I really liked to do was save the seeds and fry them well in a frypan with some margarine and salt until crisp. So much better than pumpkin seed snacks you buy.

OMG, I do that too and end up eating so many in one sitting that my jaw gets sore. To stay within my diet, I will use canola oil this year instead of margarine.

I didn't save the seeds, because my boss was going to cook them for me (I had no idea how), and she is going to Destin today!

I came over here to read more pumpkin comments and got in another political fight. I have to stop letting curiosity get the best of me.

Lulu76 wrote: I have to stop letting curiosity get the best of me.

Like I said, it's that "looking at a train wreck" kind of curiosity!

It really is. I know it doesn't do any good to say anything, but when people are so out there, I feel like I HAVE to. It's that darn idealist in me.

But at least I know that no matter what I will have pumpkin for Thanksgiving!