Pumpkin pie pumpkin?

[BarbaRosa]

Can I use a regular Halloween pumpkin for from scratch pumpkin pies?

[d_r]

1. I did a week or so ago

I am no expert.
I had only used pie pumpkins before.
We had gotten some pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns. My kids school was selling pumpkins as a fund raiser, so I grabbed some small ones when we picked them out.
I took some of the smaller ones, halved them and cut the seeds and guts out.
It seemed to me there was a higher ratio of seeds and guts than from the pie pumpkins.
I cut it up and boiled it - could have steamed, microwaved, or baked. I boiled because I had a pot that seemed right.
I skinned the cooked chunks and my 5-year-old mashed them with a potato masher.
It was an OK pie but not the best.
Honestly I think the pie pumpkins are much better.
It wasn't as sweet and a little pulpier.
But still it was OK. I mean edible.
I used pretty small pumpkins though.
I wouldn't do it again though I would get pie pumpkins; I only did it because of the fund raiser.
I wouldn't use a regular sized jack-o-lantern pumpkin; after just making jack-o-lanterns it seems to me the flesh is tougher and whiter looking, so I'm assuming bland.

[d_r]

2. oh

and I put some brown sugar and dark karo syrup in it to rich it up some. and some vanilla. and some more cinnamon. because the "batter" was tasting sort of plain before I put it in the pie crust and cooked it.

[Sentath]

3. Yes, absolutely

I will recommend against boiling as it saps too much flavor, and the pumpkins we've baked have been sweet this year.

Open, gut, save the seeds to roast, section, butter lightly, bake at 350F until fork tender (this will take a while!)

Discard the skin and you have pumpkin, ready for stews, whiz it up in the food processor to make a smooth puree for pies and cream soups.


For the seeds: put in a wire strainer and rinse and pick to remove all the strings. Put about 1Tbsp of salt on them and shake and flip (like the fancy chefs do) and the outer membrane will breakdown into foam and be able to be rinsed away. Re-salt to taste and pour into baking pan, stir in 2Tsp or so of vegetable oil and put into a 350F oven, stirring at 10 minutes and at least every 5 minutes after that until they smell good and are beginning to be lightly gold. You can always steal one to taste test.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. you can, but it really won't be that tasty

I'd give you one if I could, I have 8 sitting here to process next week. we'll soon be drowning in pumpkin puree.

big pumpkins will be tougher and stringy too. Choose little firm ones, or use Butternut squash instead. It' will be better than a jackolantern pie, almost as good as pie pumpkin.

[misschicken]

5. I don't think they work as well as sugar pumpkins.

They're tougher and stringier.
You could always try it and send out samples to us.

[yellerpup]

6. Best pumpkin pie I ever made

was from a cream colored pumpkin. I think it was a bisque. Carving pumpkins aren't that meaty.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. Sounds like what we call a cheese pumpkin around here...

best thing for baking-- even better than sugar pumpkins.

[yellerpup]

11. This one was heavy for it's size

had a rich flavor and a smooth texture. I enjoy squash of all kinds.

[pscot]

7. How do you tell the difference?

All supermarket pumpkins look alike. I don't think I've ever seen one that was labeled as a pie pumpkin.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Sure you can, if you have 'em lying around. It's better than...

throwing them away. Kinda bland, though. They were bred for carving, not eating, but you can still eat them.

Given the choice, most of us use things like cheese or sugar pumpkins for pies. Much better flavor and maybe some more meat in there. Pumpkins are just a variety of squash, so if you can get your hands on butternut, acorn, delicata, or any of the other good ones, go for it. For the past couple of years Hubbards have been pretty tasteless, so I'd avoid them-- I use them as edible serving bowls, but lately people aren't eating them so much.

This year I've found that some of the local farms are giving me some squash varieties, like sugar pumpkins, that are less flavorful than in the past-- I don't know just what the seedsmen are doing, but it seems production is more important than taste lately. After all, this is the farmers' living, so I can see them going for weight not taste, but I can still hate them for it.

[BarbaRosa]

10. Thanks,

I'll give it a try. This pumpkin is about 8"-9"in diameter so maybe it won't be to stringy or something, as said, better than tossing it out.

[Tanuki]

12. My grandmother preferred the cushaw (a type of big, elongated squash) for pies.

Sometimes it is billed as a Kershaw squash. It is an Appalachian staple.

[Sentath]

14. Oh those are lovely

A cousin's neighbor has a line of those that he has been growing for years from saved seed. They smell like watermelon when cut.

The one that I got to help with was cut up with an axe, as nothing from the kitchen would more than chip it!

[kestrel91316]

13. Our local Whole Paycheck carries the little pie pumpkins this time of year, but

my preference is for butternut squash. It's a better "pumpkin" than the real thing, lol, IMHO.

[japple]

15. If you don't roast the seeds for yourself, please throw them out for

the birds. Those seed-eaters will really appreciated it.