If you want to bake with fresh pumpkins, this is the season to do it. It takes a few steps, but the results will be worth the effort. First step is choosing your pumpkin. Going to a pick-your-own patch is always fun, but be choosy. The best-looking pumpkins might not be the best-tasting ones. The pumpkins you use as jack-o'-lanterns are not the pumpkins you want to put in your pie. The best pumpkins for carving are too large and the insides are too stringy to bake with. Instead, use a sugar pumpkin, which is sometimes called a pie pumpkin. They are smaller and have a better consistency to work with; their flesh is darker orange, almost brown in color.
From the fresh pumpkin you can make your own pumpkin puree, which can be used in any recipe calling for canned pumpkin. To make the puree, cut your pumpkin in half, clean out the stringy insides (make sure you save the seeds to bake for an afternoon snack) and then bake, boil, or microwave your pumpkin until it is soft enough to put through a blender or food processor. In the oven it will take about an hour and a half or allow seven minutes for every pound of pumpkin in the microwave, and then boil until the chunks are tender.
From there, just follow the recipes for soups, breads, cookies, and especially pies. Nothing says home-cooked comfort food better than a hot pie right out of the oven. There's no trick to this treat; just three steps from start to finish means this holiday-time pastry really is easy as pie. For a truly simple recipe, feel free to use canned pumpkin pie mix. It's got all your spices already mixed in, so all you have to do is make the crust, pour in the filling, and pop it in the oven. Pumpkin pie is one of those rare foods that tastes almost exactly as good when you start with canned ingredients as it does with fresh.
When the weather starts to turn chilly, pumpkin soups will warm you from head to toe. The soup has a great consistency, thicker than most, and slightly sweet.
It makes a perfect side dish to a fall meal - not too filling, but substantial enough to stick to your ribs before you go out in the cold.
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