This summer I let one side of the garden become a pumpkin patch full of ghost pumpkins and sugar pumpkins. I got a lot of questions asking why the sugar pumpkins were so small and why you can’t use the regular carving pumpkin variety to cook and bake with. The difference is this: The carving varieties have less flesh, they’re stringier, and have more water in them, not making for a nice smooth puree. Sugar or pie pumpkins have a ton of flesh, better texture, and are sweeter tasting, making them the obvious choice for pumpkin pie and other fall pumpkin dishes. And they’re just plain adorable, so they win!
Not a lot of people realize the versatility with pumpkin puree either, thinking it’s exclusive to being the main ingredient in pumpkin pies. I’ve used it in savory pasta dishes, to make rum balls, smoothies, face masks, and even added it to cat food! It’s full of fiber and my own little Punky Pie loves it mixed in with her dry food. I’m sure the puree would also work great as baby food, but in the meantime I’ve just got the fur-kid. Follow my simple tutorial on how to make your own puree and check back tomorrow for a roundup of my top 5 favorite recipes involving pumpkin!