From Scratch: Pumpkin to Pie

Right before christmas a friend of mine wanted to know how to make pie...I shot her a message with my favorite recipe. She responded rather quickly with, "from scratch". Ok....

Susie Homemaker to the rescue ......!!!!!!!

A little about pumpkin.....its a squash....you can use any pumpkin for a pie. Big ones, little ones, pink ones, blue ones, warty ones.....doesnt matter. A pumpkin, is a pumpkin. Different pumpkins taste different. Like apples, they are unique. Sweety pie is my favorite, but I have also discovered that squash just tastes great made into pie.

A few years back was a record year for pumpkin......I had pink, and blue, and sugar pies, and mini's, and whites, and.....well.....we had pumpkins......by the time winter rolled around I had to locate storage for all the pumpkins. About fifty of them, and they weren't all ripe.

The good news was, pumpkins store well. That's what makes them so popular. And if stored correctly, they will ripen on their own, slowly. The bad news is.....finding the spot to store them. Not everyone has room to store fifty plus pumpkins.....

So I call my mother......it turns out that can of pumpkin you buy at the store? That's it. It's pumpkin. Nothing more. Just pumpkin.

Thank goodness for preserving....

Pie.....and cookies, and breads, and more pie.

Our pumpkin in the can is simply pumpkin. There are lots of different ways people have instructed me on preparing the pumpkin, but I prefer simple and mess free. So I came up with my own way of quickly processing my pumpkins, mess free, for pie and other favorite winter treats. My steam juicer.

First cut your pumpkin in half and gut it. Place seeds and guts aside in a bowl for later. Those pumpkin seeds are high in protein and can be seasoned and roasted for a delicious snack. Or fed to the chickens......Once your pumpkin is scraped clean, quarter the pumpkin. This makes preparing the puree easier later on.

Place the pumpkin pieces in the top of your steamer. I could fit one very large pumpkin or several small pumpkins in the steamer at once. Steaming times will vary. I check the pumpkin in thirty minutes by stabbing it with a fork. The pumpkins will be done when the fork inserts smoothly.

Now about this steamer/juicer...I'm not advertising, but this is the best gadget ever. I like things simple, and this guy is simple. And it's a multi tasking utensil. this gadget/tool juices fruit for jams and jellies or can cook an entire meal! A must have in my world.

Remove pumpkin from steamer. They will be HOT!!!!! As soon as you can safely touch the pumpkin, use a large spoon to scoop the pumpkin from the rind. Place the pumpkin in a food processor and blend until smooth.

For pumpkin pie you will need 30oz of pumpkin puree. More than likely you will have extra pumpkin. I use ziploc freezer bags to store my extras in. I pre measure what I need for my recipes, place in a labeled bag, and freeze.

It's that simple.

There are a lot of recipes out there for pumpkin pie, using a variety of spice blends. I have tried recipe after recipe looking for the perfect blend. The winner is Libby. On the back of every can is their traditional recipe, and it comes out perfect every time.

This is Libby's™ recipe for pie with my twist on marrying the spices. Marrying the spices is a method of infusion. By allowing the pumpkin and the spices to mingle while you prepare your pie crusts, you enhance the flavor of your pie ten-fold. The longer the spices have to marry the more intense of a flavor.

Preheat your oven to 425*, Place the pies in the center of the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350*. Bake an additional 50 minutes. At about the thirty minute mark I swap my pies position in the oven for equal baking.

When toothpic comes out clean, remove pies from oven and allow to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

So that's how my family uses pumpkins.......

It's that simple. Thanks for stopping by.

From our house to yours.......happy preserving......