Jack o lantern or pie pumpkins make delicious fresh pies, muffins and a variety of desserts. With a little planning and organization it is fun and educational to teach our families how to make pumpkin desserts from the fruit we grow in our gardens.
The first step is to pick out a fairly solid pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and fiber. Cut the pumpkin into large sections and place in a boiling pot with a couple teaspoons of salt. Cook the pumpkin until it is fork tender. The skin is easily removed once the pumpkin is cooked and has cooled. You can then place the pumpkin in a food processor or blender. It enhances the texture to cook the pumpkin in a slow cooker with pumpkin pie spices this will remove most of the excess water. The pumpkin will reduce about 15 to 20% so use the final measurements when adding pumpkin spices. It will make the whole house smell like Thanksgiving as the filling cooks down. The filling can be used right away, frozen in containers, and or canned for a future time.