World Class Pumpkin Pie

Of all the pies around I will say that pumpkin is my all-time favorite. Now, I'm not talking about a pumpkin pie from the can either, it must be fresh pumpkin. I've had good out-of-the-can pumpkin pie before, but nothing beats a fresh pumpkin pie.

This recipe is my mother's that she came up with years ago when my parents first married. My mother only used fresh pumpkin when she cooked. I have provided the recipe along with the steps of "How to Process a Pumpkin." It may seem like a lot of work to process your own fresh pumpkin, but it's really not. Give it a try, I know you will be suprized how simple it really is. Plus, you will have your own fresh pumpkin to cook with.

Pumpkin Pie

Mix Together:
2 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Fresh Pumpkin (key to making this pie the best it can be)
2 C. milk (1 5 oz can of evaporated milk fill rest with milk)

Mix well. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 degrees. It will be done when you can insert a knife into the pie and the knife comes out clean.

Again, I can't stess how important it is to use only fresh pumpkin for this recipe. My father and I grow our own pumpkins and then process them. We have enough pumpkin left for the whole year. If you use pumpkins to decorate with in the Fall, process the pumpkin.

How to Process Pumpkins

Split the pumpkin in half, remove all seeds and strings. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take half of the split pumpkin and place in a large cake pan. Place pumpkin pulp-side down into the pan. Add 2 cups of water to pan. Bake the pumpkin for about 1 hour in the oven. You will know when the pumpkin is ready by pushing on the skin and it feels soft to the touch. If the pumpkin is still hard, let it remain in the oven for another 20 minutes.

After you have your pumpkin cooked, remove all the pulp and place in large bowl. With a blender add 1 cup at a time, along with 1/4 cup of water. Blend together. Be sure to try to keep some of the stringy part of the pumpkin (therefore do not blend the pumpkin to well).

Let pumpkin cool, add to freezer bags and freeze flat. I like to place 2 cups or 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin in each bag, becuase the pie recipe calls for 2 cups of pumpkin and my pumpkin bread recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups.