Homemade Pumpkin Pie from Scratch

For years now I have been using my own little, organic sugar pumpkins instead of store bought canned, pumpkin filling to make my holiday pumpkin pies and they turn out great! If you are not a gardener you can usually purchase the small sugar pumpkins in the fall at the grocery store, they last a long time and even if you bought them for a Halloween decoration they will still be edible and a good ripeness by Thanksgiving. I like to purchase many pumpkins and do the preparation ahead of time for the entire year by measuring the correct amount for pie or bread and then put it in a freezer bag and store it in the freezer for future use. I use a permanent marker and mark it with the amount that is in the bag so I know which recipe it is for.

Here is the way I prepare the pumpkin for using in the pie:

Purchase as many pumpkins as you feel you want to make into pies. It usually takes about one and a half of the small pumpkins to make a pie but really depends how big they are to how much they will yield.

Wash the pumpkins well and take the stem off before cutting in half with a sharp knife. Take the seeds out and either save them to bake later with salt and butter on them for a snack or discard them.

Place the pumpkins in a large baking dish with a little water in the bottom of the pan for added moisture. You can tip the pumpkins against one end of the dish and lean the rest against them sideways if they don't fit flat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for at least 1 hour in a 350 degree oven. An hour and a half if you have a lot of them to bake.

When they are done baking take the aluminum foil off, drain and let them cool well. I like to use my food processor to prepare them for using in the pies, but you can also prepare them by hand if you don't have one. Take each half of the pumpkins and carefully scoop all of the meat from the pumpkin into the food processor being careful not to get the skin in it. If you are not using the food processor put it into a large bowl.

Puree in the food processor until smooth and creamy, making sure all the lumps are out. Do the same by hand with a fork until it is not lumpy. Note, doing it by hand will give your pie a different texture than using the food processor. Some people say that you have to boil the pumpkin down at this stage to get a thicker consistency for your filling, but I never have and my pies turn out great!

Measure amounts of this pureed pumpkin into the marked freezer bags. 1 1/2 cups for each pie and 1 cup increments for each recipe for pumpkin bread that you want. I like to make plenty at a time because the only time of year you can get the little sugar pumpkins is during the fall, so I estimate ahead of time how many times I would like to make a pumpkin pies in the year ahead and make the appropriate amount.

Here is the recipe that I like to use to make my pie using the homemade pumpkin pie filling that I have prepared:

1 1/2 cups homemade pumpkin pie filling

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon ( more or less, depending on personal preference)

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 2/3 cup (13 fl. oz. can) evaporated milk

1 9 inch, unbaked pie crust

Mix ingredients in the order that they are given. Pour into the pie shell and bake in a preheated oven on 425 degrees for 15 minutes to brown crust. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes more or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool well before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and enjoy!!