Homemade Pumpkin Puree: Thanksgiving Update

A few weeks ago I tried making homemade pumpkin puree for the first time. (to read the complete post click here: Homemade Pumpkin Puree Tutorial ) It turned out to be easy to do and the family really enjoyed the pie made from the puree.

As I wrote in the earlier post, I had a tiny bit of concern because the pumpkin I used wasn’t labeled as a “baking” pumpkin or a “sweet” pumpkin as some recipes specified. I first tried making pumpkin puree at Halloween time and the stores and farmers markets were full of jack-o-lantern pumpkins so I just used one of those.

Using a Pie Pumpkin

Now that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I checked out the produce section again and this time I did find pumpkins labeled “pie” pumpkins. They were smaller, rounder pumpkins and were selling for $1.50 each. I decided to give homemade pumpkin puree a try again with these little pumpkins for the sake of comparison. (Plus I just wanted a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving!)

So what’s the difference?

The pie pumpkins were a little fleshier than the jack-o-lantern pumpkins. The stringy insides were a little harder to scrape out too. The puree itself was a deeper orange color and the consistency was thicker. This ultimately made it easier to turn into pumpkin pie filling that wasn’t quite so soupy. I bought two pumpkins and each one yielded about two cups of puree. My Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe calls for two cups of puree so it turns out perfect. Hmmmm, this must be why these little guys are called pie pumpkins!

It’s all good

So . . . I just took my pie out of the oven and now have to wait one more day for Thanksgiving dinner to eat it. It sure looks good and I’m anxious to see how the flavor compares. My instincts tell me though, that it’s all good. I still like the idea of being able to use up a Halloween pumpkin in a frugal way by turning it into pie. The texture might be slightly different, but you’re still getting authentic pumpkin flavor mixed with spices of your own choosing.