Dear Libby’s Pumpkin Can people,
Did you know you can make pumpkin pie from real pumpkins?
Seriously?
I thought you might want to know…..what with Thanksgiving around the corner and all.
And the nerve-wracking thing is….I don’t think I’m the only one.
I’m just guessing….but I think some other people might have figured it out, too.
You see….of course I knew about pumpkin pie.
And I knew that pumpkin pie came from Libby’s canned pumpkin.
But that’s where the thinking stopped.
I never even imagined making a pumpkin pie…..
…..from a real pumpkin.
So when my friend asked me over to her house to make pumpkin pies and when she told me she was boiling a pumpkin……it was a lot to take in.
I never really thought about where the pumpkin in the can came from or how one even put pumpkin in a can or that right now all across America there are actually people growing pumpkins to go into those cans.
Wow.
Talk about incredible.
Talk about a game changer.
It has me thinking and wondering, though….
What’s next?
What else do I need to know?
Pretty soon you’ll tell me that…..
…. milk doesn’t even come from Wal-Mart 🙂
“Real Pumpkin” Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked mashed pumpkin
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1 egg and 1 yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Streusel Topping
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
 
Step 1: Â Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut pumpkin into halves and then quarters.
Step 2: Â Cut quarters into 2″ slices.
Clean seeds and strings from each piece and remove rind from each quarter.
Put it into a large pan with about an inch of water.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over top of slices of pumpkin.
Bring to a boil.
Cover and reduce heat to medium.
Cook pumpkin until tender (about 20-30 minutes).
Pour it into a colander and drain for approximately 20 minutes until water stops dripping.
Step 3: Â Mash pumpkins for pie.
Step 4: Â Â Beat pumpkin, milk, eggs, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice with a whisk until mixed well. Â
Batter will be lumpy.
Step 5: Â Add mixed ingredients to an unbaked 9″ pie crust.
Step 6:  Sprinkle streusel topping on top of pie and bake 50-55 minutes or until done.
Note: Â Cooked pumpkin will make much more than 2 cups needed for pie. Â Divide remaining pumpkin into 2 cup servings and freeze.
I brought home real pumpkin pie to my family.
Who promptly ate every last piece.
It was amazing.
And delicious.
So Libby’s Pumpkin People….I’m wishing you and your cans well and I know this is your busy season…..so don’t worry…..I’ll be sure to keep the whole real pumpkin idea….
 …..just between us 🙂Â
PS  Sharing this over at Funky Junk and Between Naps On a Porch.
yum, have never made the real thing but you and Ms.Junior Kentucky have inspired me!
Looks yummy! I think there might be a cookbook brewing on down the line....I might even give that a try. Have a great one!
Karianne, Only you could take a recipe for homemade pumpkin pie and turn it into an adorable, funny and engaging post! Thanks for the giggle this morning! That homemade pie looks delicious!
Pssst! You "can" simplify the process a bit by baking that pumpkin. There are different methods, including baking the pumpkin whole. (!) Have fun. :)
Oh my, that looks awesome! I have usually baked my pumpkins but maybe I will have to try your boiling method. I have never, I must live under a rock, seen pumpkin pie with streusel topping but that looks amazing. I am definitely going to try that. Thank you for sharing and including your beautiful photography.
As longs as there are cooks like me, the folks at Libbey have nothing to worry about!!!....Glad you had a wonderful experience making a "real pumpkin" pie....so I am assuming that the pumpkin pie that I will make with the help from the folks at Libbey would be considered a "faux pumpkin pie"......hmmmm...
I have had pumpkin pie prepared with baked pumpkin, and it was yummy, too. You've got my mouth watering, and my brain is signaling that a slice of pumpkin pie would be so delish with a cup of coffee this morning. Your photos are gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do believe Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater only ate "real" pumpkin. No canned stuff for him. He was a purist. I, myself, will probably still be known to reach for that can on occasion. It is just too easy, and I am all about easy. Dear KariAnne, at our house milk comes from soy. Walmart can just "moo" away.
Hi Kari. I've never made a pumpkin pie from scratch. Me and Ms. Libby are BFF's! But this looks so yummy that I think it's well worth a try. Think of the bragging rights among your family at Thanksgiving!
Thanks karianne! You always brighten my day!
KariAnne thanks for sharing. I have been wanting to make real pumpkin pie for years, the whole idea just seemed so intimidating. I can't wait to try this out. Now I just have to find a real pumpkin.
Canned pumpkin? How about frozen pumpkin pies or ones from the deli. Just kidding.
Dear Thistlewood's Kitchen: Your lazy days of Mac and cheese are in the past. I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted. But don't worry, your sister-kitchen at The Bold Abode is basking in the sun and reading my copies of The Hunger Games as we speak... Love, Gwen
I always thought it would be way to much work to use real pumpkin in recipes so always opted for canned. The problem is I have a difficult time finding the pumpkin purée. I has been on my grocery list for several weeks and I've come home empty handed. Today I'll buy a pumpkin!
Karianne - my sister are going to start baking for the holidays and I would love to add homemade pumpkin to our list of goodies - but I do have a question - there are so many varieties of pumpkin which one would you recommend??
I am not qualified, but I will weigh in. :) The "pie pumpkins" are usually smaller and meatier with a smaller seed cavity. We have used our jack-o-lanterns, though. (We used real candles, back then, but my mother cut off the part that was singed or too dry.) A grocery store should have some kind of designation and vendors at the farmers' market usually can tell way more than you want to know.
YUM!!!!
You keep this up and we are not going to be able to remain bad-cooking friends! (I was in high school before I knew that you didn't have to have a box of mix to make a cake!)
That looks soooooo good! And I'm not even a big pumpkin pie fan. :)
Yummy yum yum. I say instead of freezing the extra pumpkin just bake a bunch of pies because they certainly won't last long! Pumpkin is very nutritious you know. So breakfast, lunch and dinner...right?
Wow - you have been very ambitious lately with your cooking! I am so impressed and I'm sure this will impress your M-i-L as well!!! Great job KariAnne! Love that first photo, so beautiful. Enjoy your pie! ps how many pumpkins did you have to gut before you got a pie??
Love your how to. Such a fun twist on a pumpkin pie recipe. I have only peeled the rind from my pumpkin once. Never, Never,NEVER again. So easy to just cut in half (I use neck pumpkins) scoop out all the slimy seedy gunk (I use a serving spoon). Lay the pumpkin on a jelly roll style pan cut side down with a little water and bake at 325° to 350° till soft. Take your handy dandy serving spoon and scrape the the soft pumpkin out of the rind. Drain if needed and run through a Foley food mill or use a food processor to puree until smooth. SOOOO much easier to prepare the pumpkin this way.
they grow these cute little pumpkins called "pie pumpkins".......perfect for all your pie making needs. :) xoxoxo You always brighten my day!
Admit it...you're auditioning with public television as the replacement for Julia Child. You are, aren't you? I can see it now. In fact, I don't know why I didn't think of it before. The similarities are so obvious. You, with red lipstick, and pearls. Poor Jacques Peppin...he'll never know what hit him. As an aside, I found out that lettuce comes in a head or in leaves....no kidding...not in small pieces, in a bag, mixed with carrots....the market is a wondrous place! xo, Kimberly
My friend Brigette makes her pumpkin pies using real pumpkin. I've yet to try it but plan to in the future. Hopefully, the near future. I've heard that once you start making it with fresh pumpkin you NEVER go back to canned. We have a friend who owns a pumpkin patch. I think I'm going to have to be hitting them up for some pumpkin this weekend! :-) Looks delicious Karianne!
Oh! I forgot! Milk comes from Walgreens! lol It's seriously cheaper there. :-) $2.69 compared to $3.18 at Walmart in our little town.
Oh Yummm! No comparison to ye ole can, huh? I made real apple pie this week...crust and all! (no blogy yet). We can never go back. We are the new June Cleavers of the world!
Yum..You know that milk doesn't come from Walmart...
Great looking pumpkin pie! I'm of the mind...k.i.s.s. (keep it simple sister). I've made canned pumpkin pies before. Lately, I've been going to my favorite bakery and purchasing mine there! Totally lame, I admit, but there's something to be said for quality and consistency, and buying local! Now, rumor has it, that you are getting ready to publish a cookbook...at least that's what some of your commenters are suggesting! You rock star, you! ;)
Just last night my mom and I discussed the pumpkin she cut up and added to her chicken soup. I'm going to try both!
And here I thought you got your milk directly from the cows udders! I feel so betrayed!! Kelly
Shh. Don't tell. The secret might get out ;)
Gosh . . . and here I just graduated from "Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix" (add and egg and milk and you're done) to "Libby's 100% Pumpkin" (where you actually have to measure out SPICES!) You go, girl! :)
Oh Karianne, you're going to make your mother-in-law so proud! Heck - you make ME proud!! Next thing you'll be showing us is a home made apple pie. ps if you do decide to tackle the All American dessert, don't bother to slice them into neat and uniform slices. Just chop into bite sized pieces. Much faster, they don't turn brown and they taste the same. :-)
You are so refreshing to read. I look forward to your posts. They are so enlightening! Please note this is a complement...what a hoot. Happy Thursday...sun is shining in middle TN.
OH you are a bad one alright... now I'm starving and its too late to make a pie or too early or too something... because I don't have a pumpkin and no excuses to make a trip into town to buy one... But your's looked delicious! :) I mean make my mouth water type of delicious!! Have a wonderful day!
I made pumpkin cookies the other day, now I want to make some more! Love me some pumpkin!
Libby's can is always my go-to! Thanks for sharing a great recipe! Have a great weekend! Leslie
Between your ideas, your humor and your photos, you have a blog that is a 'must read'!
I've always looked at those big old hard pumpkins and thought,,,no way! So...is there a big difference in taste? And, is the rind hard to peel? Please make a believer out of me! XO, Jane
Nice to see that your kitchen isn't just beautiful ... but is turning out beautiful (and delicious) baked good too! You've come a long way from bread ... Linda
Wow! You have inspired me to give this a try. I have two victims ..... pumpkins that is, at the ready! Hope mine turn out as good as your pie looks. Patty/BC
I just want to cry when I see your pictures. They are so beautiful. It is such a treat to visit your blog. And now because of you I have a year long subscription to Folk too. Is it Christmas?!!!
You can also roast the pieces of pumpkin in the oven with a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper and serve it as a vegetable. Delish. Oh, yeah, you can make pumpkin soup, too.
i bet i'm not the first person to tell you this...but you're hilarious. i've never made a pumpkin pie from the can or the real thing. these pictures make me want to change that.
Here is how I cook a pumpkin - cut it in half. Place cut side down on a jelly roll pan. Bake in 350 degree oven till it sticks tender when stuck with a fork. Remove from oven, let cool. Skin and pulp peel right out and you have cooked pumpkin ready to mash or puree. I also do this with squash and use that instead of pumpkin - makes much yummier pies! And the best pies - use zucchini - no joke!!!
what..not from Wal-Mart?? hehe!! this really looks amazing....Mrs.Smith bakes the pies over here...maybe I should venture out!! ;)
Mind = blown. I always wondered how "they" turned a pumpkin into some sort of can-able substance. Looks delicious!
You silly girl, you are turning into a real honest to goodness, something besides mac and cheese, cook :)
That pie looks incredible! I have never known anyone who actually made pumpkin pie from REAL pumpkins -- maybe this year I will try it! :-)
you know what I noticed first about this post? the photography..I LOVE the picture on top! it drew me in...I LOVE pumpkin pie. cold. with totally fake Cool Whip. #icantwaitforthanksgiving xo
Pumpkin pie not something I have ever tired
I have been craving pumpkin pie, now I'm on a mission to get some no matter what. I may have to break down and bake a pumpkin pie from scratch because you made this look so tempting and delicious. Great job Karianne - I can just picture your family diving in and eating every last crumb, big smiles on their faces.
I did this years ago and had just let it slip. You have made me want to get out a buy a pumpkin tomorrow because we love pumpkin pie!!
I don't like pumpkin pie (something about eating a vegetable for dessert is just not appealing to me!), but my mother makes the most amazing pumpkin soup, so if, after making the pie, you want to try something else with the left-over pumpkin, I recommend finding a recipe for pumpkin soup (or pumpkin scones - an Australian favorite). Have a wonderful weekend!
You are so funny, Karianne! I've cooked my own pumpkins and then pureed and froze in amounts for pies (or other recipes), and it's kind of an instant (well, not really instant because this all takes quite a bit of time). Makes you feel like you are doing something so special for your family, right? But seriously, that homemade pumpkin isn't any better than the store-bought kind. From what I've read, all that work doesn't give you an any more nutritious product that the easy stuff. And I just bought "organic" canned pumpkin -- now tell me, can you get much better than that?
Just want to let you know, I love your blog.