The thought of Halloween seems to bring on a  craving for Pumpkin Pie. We seem to have a this built into our brains as the weather gets colder and the leaves turn orange.

Ever tried making Pumpkin Pie from a real Pumpkin?

Maybe, its the orange leaf thingy just means its orange pumpkin time. There are recipes for pumpkin cheescake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, pumpkin soup, and I am sure a lot of other pumpkin type dishes but none is better then pumpkin pie!

Tis not a good idea to make pumpkin pie out of traditional Halloween pumpkins. These pumpkins are grown for making
Jack O Lanterns and not made really for eating.
Scary Pumpkins
Making pumpkin pie requires a smaller, sweeter, less grainy textured pumpkins than the usual jack-o-lantern types. Grocery stores usually carry them in late September through December in the U.S.

There are many varieties of culinary pumpkins, and heirloom varieties are highly prized for their taste and texture. Among the best are the Small Sugar, Winter Luxury, Cheese, Golden Cushaw, and Rouge Vif d’Etampes.
Cut the pumpkin half and put it in a little water (you might even skip the water if its a ripe firm pumpkin)  in a microwavable safe dish.

Pumpkin Pie from a real Pumpkin

Simply cook about ten minutes, like you would acorn squash, or spaghetti squash. Drain it, then take out and scoop the inside out with an ice cream scooper, or strong spoon. Then put it in a blender to refine it more. You could also steam a pumpkin instead of using a microwave.

This is a fun project for kids and adults, and guess what – a pumpkin pie made this way will always taste better then from the canned variety. Its fresher, of course.

Use a cup of sugar ( or honey or stevia ) , a teaspoon and a half of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of cloves, 1 teaspoon of allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and a 1/2 teaspoon of ground mace, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 organic eggs, 3 cups of your ground pumpkin, 1 1/2 cans of evaporated milk ( you can also use soy milk ).

Pour into a pie crust of your choosing and bake 425 degrees for first 15 minutes then turn it down to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 minutes or so – until a inserted knife comes out clean.

Enjoy! and see it really is not that hard after all!