Why would anyone want to cook with fresh pumpkin when one can buy canned pumpkin from the store? That is easy; taste. Have you tasted the difference between tomatoes that come fresh out of a garden and tomatoes that you buy at the store? The difference is like eating real tomato tasting the way God meant a tomato to taste and eating cardboard. There is as big a difference between fresh pumpkin and the pumpkin you buy in a can from the store. You haven't had pumpkin pie until you have pumpkin pie made with fresh pumpkin.

There are several different ways to cook fresh pumpkin. This is my favorite method. It does take some time. I usually set aside an entire afternoon. Instead of making supper that night I send out for pizza. I know that pumpkin day will be a long one.

1. Wash the pumpkin.

2. Heat the oven to 500⁰.

3. Cut the pumpkin open and clean out the inside. I usually cut it in half for this.

4. After cutting it into large pieces, put the pumpkin in a big turkey toaster. Add about a half inch to an inch of water. Bake until tender.

5. Let the cooked pumpkin cool completely. .

6. Once the pumpkin is completely cool, peel of the rind. Baking it has made this much easier. Many times you won't even need a knife.

7. Now it is time for your food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a blender. A blender will take about two times as long, but it will work. Puree the pumpkin.

8. Put the pumpkin in a strainer and let it drain. Get as much of the water out of it as you can.

9. All the books on home canning say that at this point you should simmer the pumpkin until well heated,. If that will make you feel safer, have at it. I never do this.

10. If you are going to freeze the pumpkin, put 2 cups in a freezer bag and put it in the freezer. That is it.

Remember: All the recipes that use pumpkin usually call for 2 cups.

When using real pumpkin for a pie, use less liquid when you are mixing the filling. This isn't necessary for cakes and cookies.

Fresh pumpkin will not be the dark orange of canned pumpkin. The cannery uses food coloring to get that color. You can if it makes you more comfortable.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I have included many of my favorite things about Thanksgiving on the following pages. Enjoy your visit.

Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving home page.

Do you know who to thank?
My feelings about what is really important about this holiday.

Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

Recipes
Some of my favorites and some new ones that I am going to try this year. there are three pages of these recipes.

How to prepare fresh pumpkin
You haven't had pumpkin pie until you have had pumpkin pie made with 'real' pumpkin

Poetry
All kinds of fun things.

Jokes

Thanksgiving Word Puzzle
I like to make word search puzzles. Click on the above titles to find that puzzle,

Win my Awards
Apply for one of my awards for Thanksgiving sites.