These Pumpkin Recipes Will Have You Rethinking Fall Dining (2024)

FAQs

How can pumpkins be prepared for Thanksgiving dinner? ›

A common way to prepare pumpkins is to cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and strings, and bake them cut side down on a baking sheet, just like you would an acorn squash. Pumpkin soup is a savory delight, with a rich earthy flavor miles away from what we normally associate with pumpkin.

Peel away the skin and you've got a hunk of the good stuff. The flesh of big pumpkins is perfect for soups and curries. The flesh of smaller pumpkins, squash and gourds is best suited for pies, breads and cakes - although it's also delicious in a soup.

Pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert to cross off your Thanksgiving to-do list. You can prepare and bake the pie up to two days in advance, and it will still taste great on the big day. Just make sure you store the pie in the refrigerator—not on the kitchen counter—until you are ready to serve it.

Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks. Unlike pumpkin pie mix, canned pumpkin does not have any spices, sugars, or other additives. In many cases, the only ingredient is pumpkin.

Popular blends of pumpkin spice include warming flavors that are often found in baking, like ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. While different blends vary in proportions and some other spices may be be included in smaller quantities, those spices tend to be the most popular.

For cooking, you'll want to use sugar pumpkins (also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. Long Island Cheese pumpkins, which are more oblong and can look like a wheel of cheese, are also good to eat. Field pumpkin types are larger, have watery, stringy flesh, and are best for decorating.

Some pumpkin farms use their unsold inventory as compost to increase soil nutrients & act as fertilizer, which is one of the most environmentally conscious ways to use them. Plus, the pumpkin seeds can also end up essentially planting themselves, sprouting fresh inventory for the following season.

Puree your pulp on its own and add it to canned pumpkin puree to boost flavor in pumpkin recipes like pumpkin bread. You may also add the puree directly to foods like oatmeal, rice and risotto, hummus and butter—for pumpkin butter.

What part of the pumpkin is not edible? ›

Wash, season, and bake the seeds for a healthy Halloween treat. The stem, skin, and flesh of a pumpkin are all edible. In fact, every part of the pumpkin is edible, including the leaves and flowers. Blue pumpkins are some of the rarest.

Pumpkin is a superfood for dogs. It contains essential micronutrients and fiber that make it a very nutritious treat. Besides being a natural stomach soother, pumpkin also helps to remove excess water in a dog's digestive tract.

Can you eat raw pumpkin? You can eat pumpkin raw and add it to salads and smoothies, but thoroughly wash it before eating it to remove bacteria that may make you sick.

To Boil: Halve the pumpkin; remove seeds, pulp, and stringy portion. Cut into small pieces and peel. Cover with lightly salted water and boil for about 25 minutes, or until tender. Mash, purée in a blender or food processor or put through a food mill.

Both the seeds and flesh of the pumpkin are edible. American Indian tribes of the southwest scooped out the seeds, dried or roasted them, spiced them with chili powder and ate them with a mixture of nuts and dried fruit. The flesh was often cut into pieces and baked in ovens or directly over coals.