pumpkin pie

pumpkin

I can’t believe it’s taken me almost a full year to post about our pumpkins! Last year, we were pleasantly surprised to find sugar pumpkins growing in our back pasture. We harvested three, and I was able to use two of them, despite having a kidney transplant in October! (The kids used one to make a jack o lantern, which was promptly eaten by some happy critter.)

I have always thought it would be cool to make a pumpkin pie from scratch, so I decided this would be the year.

When I was about 3, my mom tried to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. Unfortunately for her, I decided that I wanted to bake, too. My plastic pans ruined the pies and almost set the house on fire. My poor mom! Thankfully, kidney transplant aside, my first attempt was not so dramatic.

Step 1: Pumpkin Purée

I roasted the pumpkins on two separate days, but I only grabbed photos of my second attempt. The process is super simple.

1. Cut pumpkin in half.

2. Scoop out the seeds.

3. Brush with coconut oil & sprinkle with cinnamon.

4. Bake cut side down on a parchment lined baking tray for about an hour at 375.

5. Scoop out the pumpkin and purée in a food processor.

I ended up with about 2-3 cups of pumpkin from each pumpkin. I froze two cups from my first attempt and used 1/2 c to make some pumpkin snickerdoodles. (They were good, but not truly snickerdoodles.)

pumpkin snickerdoodles

Step 2: Pumpkin Seeds

While the pumpkin is roasting, I figured I might as well roast the seeds, which are really high in magnesium (something I needed after my transplant). This is also super easy!

1. Clean the seeds.

2. Boil in salted water for about 10 minutes.

3. Drain and toss with oil. (The first time I used avocado oil. Then I did a batch with coconut oil and Jamaican Jerk (Pampered Chef)–yummy!)

4. Bake on a parchment lined sheet (or a stone) at 300 for about 20 minutes or until they start to brown.

These are amazing! And so simple!

Step 3: Pumpkin Pie

pumpkin pieTo make my pumpkin pie, I just followed my standard pumpkin pie recipe and used a store-bought crust. It was amazing!

pumpkin pie

I still have my pumpkin from last year in the freezer, and I’m looking forward to getting it out and making another pie this year! (Maybe I’ll even make the crust from scratch!)

Karen