How to Prepare Whole Pumpkin For Pie

Forgo the canned pumpkin pie mix and make a REAL homemade pumpkin pie. With these easy instructions, you can easily prepare a whole pumpkin from your garden so you can turn it into a delicious homemade pumpkin pie!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pumpkin
• Knife
• Baking Sheet
• Ice Cream Scoop
• Oven

1. Clean pumpkin and cut in half

2. Remove the seeds and the fibrous pulp.

3. Place pumpkin halves cut side downwards on baking sheet(s).

4. Bake pumpkins for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

5. Remove pumpkins from oven and allow to cool to a temperature that is still warm but safe to work with.

6. Using your ice cream scoop or even just a large spoon, scoop out the insides of the pumpkin and place into a large bowl.

7. Now that you have your pumpkin filling, follow your pie recipe by adding the necessary spices, etc and enjoy your REAL homemade pie. It's easy and your family and friends will be impressed!

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure the pumpkin you've chosen is a PIE PUMPKIN. There is difference in the pumpkin squashes.
• Remove some of the seeds from the pulp and lay flat to dry on paper towel so you can plant them the following season.
• Feed excess seeds and pulp to animals such as pigs, cows or goats. It's not only a tasty treat for them but pumpkin seeds are also an age old way of preventing intestinal worms.
• For the above reason, I always offer to glean farmer's (organic) pumpkin fields at the close of the season and feed them to my livestock whole. (may need to break open for them to get them started)
• Use this fresh pumpkin right away. Do not allow to sit in the refrigerator for any length of time.

[heatherschulte]

on 7/11/2008 Yum! A few more months! *****

[SeventhSibling]

on 6/22/2008 I prepared pumpkins once for my own homemade pies. What a feeling of satisfaction to make pumpkin pie literally from scratch -- scratching the earth to plant the seeds that months later made the pie. I highly recommend trying this recipe of Janet's.

[dsarokin]

on 6/21/2008 I actually have a pack of pumpkin seeds awaiting planting, so who knows, I might actually bake a pie next Halloween. But just in case, Janet, can you send me one of yours...?