Q.pumpkins
How do you know if you can make pumpkin pie from the pumpkins you grew? Are there pumpkins that you cannot bake and how can you tell the difference?
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
You can bake a pie from almost any winter squash (pumpkins being the most popular), but flavor wise, some squash are better than others. When talking about your standard "pumpkin" - orange, round winter squash, a sugar pumpkin (which is the small one they sell in the grocery store), will give you the best flavor. Jack-o'-lantern pumpkins can also be used to make pies and will taste ok, just not as good as a sugar pumpkin.
The "pumpkin" you buy in a can is normally not the pumpkin you think of. It is usually a more economically grown squash, like a Hubbard squash. As there is no hard, legal definition of a pumpkin and the term is used to refer to a wide variety of winter squash, so as long as it tastes like a pumpkin - it can be sold as pumpkin.
To be very honest, I like to make pumpkin pie with butternut squash. The flavor and texture are excellent for pies.
