Crustless Pumpkin Pie - Gluten and Dairy FreeSweetened By Dates, No Sugar!Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree In Your Instant Pot

Lighten up your Thanksgiving with only 135 calories of Yum.
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Guilt-Free Dessert
Having to give up gluten and dairy is really tough around the holidays, especially at dessert time. This recipe accommodates gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free diets without compromising taste in the slightest. It does, however, contain eggs so it's not appropriate for your vegan guests. 

Besides being incredibly low in calories, (weighing in at only 135 calories per serving, less than half of traditional pumpkin pie), it's super easy to make. 

This recipe starts with home-grown pumpkin cooked in an instant pot, but you can also make it with a can of pumpkin.

We grew three types of pumpkins this year and lots of them (about 40 or more.)

We grew a few dozen Racer pumpkins (in the front) which are good for Halloween. Doug drove around with them in the back of his truck and gave them to the neighborhood kids.

This is a Jarrahdale pumpkin which makes great soup and pie

This is my favorite. It's a Musque de Provence. It's so beautiful.
 I also use this one for soup and pie.

Cook Fresh Pumpkin in your Instant Pot
When you use fresh pumpkin for your pies, the most important thing is to make sure it's not watery. So after cooking it, whether it be in your Instant Pot or steaming it on the stovetop, make sure it's well drained.

You're going to need 2 cups of mashed pumpkin, so start with a pumpkin big enough to do that - about 3 to 4 pounds. This will vary with the density of the pumpkin you are using. The pumpkins I use, pictured above, weigh over 10 pounds so I just cut out a wedge and save the rest for soup or more pie.

Peel and cube your pumpkin and put it in a steamer basket in your Instant Pot with a cup of water. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release. It should be fork tender. If not, continue to cook. 

Pumpkin in a steamer basket in the Instant Pot

Scoop the cooked pumpkin into a colander with fine holes. Let it drain until it's very dry. You can help it along by mashing it down gently with a fork or spoon.

Pumpkin draining in a colander over a bowl. 

When it stops draining, it's ready to use in the pie. Measure out 2 cups of mashed, drained pumpkin and set aside.

Roasting is Great Too!
You can easily roast your pumpkin by cutting it in half, putting it on a shallow roasting pan or on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and baking it at 375 degrees F until tender. I like to loosely tent it with aluminum foil. The time will vary with the size of the pumpkin but it cab take 1 to 2 hours or more. The advantage is that it results in a much drier pumpkin than one that is steamed but the disadvantage is the time it takes to cook. You will still have to drain it in a colander to remove any moisture.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
You can buy ready made pumpkin pie spice or make it with a combination of cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Different recipes call for different ratios of these spices and your personal tastes. I use:

5 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoons cloves
1/4 teaspoon of allspice

 Most recipes call for more nutmeg and less ginger but I like ginger much more than I like nutmeg. So change the ratios to suite your taste. Mix them all up and store in a spice jar in a cool, dark cabinet. It will last a long time.

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Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 8 servings]

Requirements
Round, 10-inch pie pan
Blender

Ingredients
Non-dairy margarine to grease the pan
4 medjool dates*
1 (13.5 oz) can light coconut milk
1 (15 oz) can cooked pumpkin or 2 cups drained and mashed freshly cooked pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder, or to taste
4 pasture raised, organic eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup gluten-free flour**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

* Dates can be replaced with 1/2 cup sugar, but dates are healthier and contain dietary fiber and other nutrients. 
** If you are not sensitive to gluten, you can substitute all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch pie pan and set aside.

Pit the dates and coarsely chop. Pour the coconut milk in a small bowl with the chopped dates and let soak until they soften. If the dates are soft and fresh, this won't take long. If they are hard, it may take several hours. 

Place the coconut milk and soaked dates in a blender and blend until well incorporated.

Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, about 20 seconds.

Pour into the prepared pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the pie barely jiggles in the middle, is set all the way through, and is brown around the edges.

Remove from the oven (test with a toothpick which should come out clean), and place on a wire rack until cooled completely. Place in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

Serve as is or with a tiny scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition
Per serving: 135 calories, 6 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 4 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 183 mg sodium.

Everything Orange Soup - Vegan And Gluten Free, Perfect For Thanksgiving!

Butternut squash, carrots, oranges, and turmeric
 blend up into  this healthy autumn soup.

Perfect for Thanksgiving or even Halloween!

instinct - (definition)
noun
1. an innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli.

In this case, the stimuli is fall, the leaves turning color, and the cooler weather. 
The fixed pattern of behavior, at least for me, is to make soup! 

This instinctive behavior was part of the driving force behind my Seasonally Raw Food Plan that I write about in my book, Health Begins in the Kitchen. Despite my love of raw food and my belief of its critical role in a healthy diet, I believe that certain seasons and climates dictate the percentage and balance of raw and cooked foods in our diet.

Phytochemical Stew
I almost named this dish Phytochemical Stew but I realized that, besides me, not many people would find that appetizing. But when I look at the beautiful orange color of squash, carrots, fresh oranges, and turmeric, I see phytochemicals such as carotenoids, flavonoids and more. And although the original purpose of these plant chemicals is to protect the plants themselves, research demonstrates that these substances can also help protect humans from all kinds of diseases. 

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Everything Orange Soup
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cups sliced carrots
4 cups diced butternut squash or pumpkin
2 cups chopped tomatoes, or 15 oz can diced
4 cups veggie broth*
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste, plus some for garnish
2 medium oranges, peeled and seeded
pinch of fresh thyme for garnish

* or 4 cups water and a large Rapunzel vegetable bouillon cube

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes. 

Add the garlic, ginger, and turmeric and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the carrots, squash (or pumpkin), tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper and cook, covered, until the vegetables soften, about 20 minutes.

Place the soup in a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, together with the fresh oranges, and blend until smooth. You may have to do this in batches. 

Return to the pot, heat, and serve. Garnish with fresh thyme and additional freshly ground black pepper.

Per serving: 142 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 51 mg omega-3 and 376 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, and 589 mg sodium.

Download Health Begins in the Kitchen for lots more vegan and gluten-free Thanksgiving favorites, as well as recipes for a Raw Vegan Thanksgiving Banquet!

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream - Made With So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer

So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer gives this vegan ice cream an incredibly creamy texture!

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Vegan Ice Cream
I typically just use unsweetened soy milk to make a healthful frozen dessert ( see my Mango Peach and Strawberry ice cream recipes) but since the holidays are here, I stepped it up a notch and added some coconut milk creamer for my pumpkin pecan ice cream. Coconut creamer is fat free but does add some calories. However, it makes a big difference in the texture and creaminess of the ice cream. Even so, this dessert weighs in at less than 100 calories per serving with less than 1/3 a gram of saturated fat! 
This ice cream has all the flavors of autumn and winter and makes a perfect topping for holiday pies or a slice of ginger spice cake. 

So Delicious French Vanilla coconut milk creamer is non GMO, vegan and gluten free! 

Texas Pecans are the Best
During my many years living in Texas, I developed a love for the wonderful pecans grown there. I'm not the only one who feels that way. Luther Burbank, the world famous horticulturist, was quoted in 1908 as saying, " If I were a young man, I would go to Texas, knowing as I do the possibilities of the pecan industry and devote my life in propagating new species of the pecan and doing the same work there in nut culture as I have done here in other lines of horticulture. Your pecan is superior to our walnut and you are standing in your own light - why not develop it?"

Pecans make a perfect addition to pumpkin ice cream.

Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream 
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 8 servings]


1 cup So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk creamer
1 cup unsweetened gluten free soy milk
1 large banana
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 packets stevia, or to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped raw Texas pecans


Place coconut creamer, soy milk, banana, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and stevia in a blender and blend until smooth. 
Add mixture to an ice cream maker and process according to directions.
Add pecans to the ice cream maker during the last few minutes of processing.
Serve immediately.


Per serving (with 1/4 cup pecans): 97.7 calories, 3.1 g fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.7 g protein,15 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g dietary fiber and 12.5 mg sodium.


Per serving (with 1/2 cup pecans): 121.2 calories, 5.5. g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 15.4 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g dietary fiber and 12.5 mg sodium.

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Soup

Getting Ready for the Holidays

It's November and soon my favorite holiday will be here - Thanksgiving. I'll be publishing healthy and delicious recipes that you can prepare for this special day or for any of your favorite holiday meals. This raw pumpkin soup is part of the Raw Vegan Thanksgiving and Winter Holiday Menu. This thick and creamy soup provides 150% of your daily requirement of vitamin A - a key vitamin important for vision, growth and development, healthy skin and immune function. It's also high in vitamin C. Feel free to replace the pumpkin with butternut or other winter squash.

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Raw Vegan Pumpkin Soup [serves 4]

3 cups raw pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) yellow corn

3/4 cups diced red bell pepper

2 1/2 cups fresh apple juice

2 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

2 1/2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced

1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

1/2 cup mashed avocado

2 teaspoons raw pumpkin seeds for garnish

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped, for garnish

In a high speed blender, combine pumpkin, corn, red bell pepper, apple juice, ginger, garlic, salt and avocado. Process for several minutes, until smooth. (If too thick, add more apple juice). Divide into 4 soup bowls and garnish with raw pumpkin seeds and fresh thyme.

Per serving: 211.5 calories, 5.8 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 3.8 g protein, 39.1 g carbohydrates, 3.9 g fiber, 7,457 IU vitamin A and 51.3 mg of vitamin C.

Vegan Whole Grain Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Cooked pumpkin pulp scraped from baked pumpkin halves.

ENER G egg replacer. 1 1/2 t in 2 T water = 1 egg.

Pumpkin walnut bread cooling on a rack.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Judging by the large number of hits on my August 30^th post, When to Harvest and How to Cure Pumpkins and Winter Squash, I know there are many gardeners out their with pumpkins waiting for healthy recipes. I’ve already posted two: Vegan Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin with Quinoa, Pecans, Cranberries and Apples and Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Curried Gravenstein Apples. Today I will add a pumpkin bread recipe, made with whole grain goodness, omega 3 rich walnuts and to save calories and cholesterol and for the benefit of those who avoid eggs, this is made with EnerG egg replacer. Each slice has over 2 grams of fiber, has zero cholesterol and 484 mg of omega 3 fatty acid.

ENER G Egg Replacer

Although I love to eat fresh organic, cage free, omega 3 eggs, I try not to eat too many. When I was tested for food allergies, the only things I was allergic to were egg whites and egg yolks. I could have guessed that since almost every time I eat poached eggs, I immediately get a headache, a little dizzy and sometimes nausea. My husband warns me of this, to no avail, every time I start to eat this breakfast treat. When I bake, it’s easy to avoid eggs because of this egg replacer product. I was certainly skeptical at first, knowing how nicely cakes and breads rise with real eggs, but so far, every time I’ve tried using it in baking recipes that call for eggs, this product has worked like a charm. I didn’t like it in lemon pie filling, however, since it doesn’t produce a nice yellow, lemony color.

To use it, you just mix 1½ teaspoons of egg replacer with 2 tablespoons of warm water thoroughly before adding it to the recipe. It’s made mostly from potato starch, tapioca flour and leavening. Each ENER G egg equivalent only has 15 calories and no cholesterol. To compare, one large egg has around 70 calories and 211 mg of cholesterol. Of course you can’t use this product to make scrambled or poached eggs. But it works perfectly in our Vegan Whole Grain Pumpkin Walnut Bread recipe. One note of caution; use the egg substitute immediately after mixing with water and put the bread in the oven to bake quickly. If the mixture sits around, it may not rise properly.

If you do want to use eggs, just replace the EnerG egg replacer and the 1/4 cup of water with 2 slightly beaten eggs.

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Vegan Whole Grain Pumpkin Walnut Bread [makes 12 servings]

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup cooked pumpkin pulp*

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup Sucanat or organic cane sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 tablespoon ENER G egg replacer

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup English walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup seedless raisins

* To make pumpkin pulp from fresh pumpkin, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Cut pumpkin in half, remove seeds and strings and place hollow side down in the roasting pan. Bake for 1 hour or until soft. Cool a bit and scrape the pulp out with a large spoon. Reserve 1 cup for this recipe and freeze the rest in 1 cup servings.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together pumpkin pulp, vanilla, Sucanat, olive oil and apple sauce. Mix ENER G in warm water thoroughly and add to the pumpkin mixture (or add 2 slightly beaten eggs instead for a non-vegan version of this recipe). Add pumpkin mixture to large bowl with dry ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Fold in walnuts and raisins. Pour into a well greased 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let sit in the pan for 15 minutes on a metal rack. Remove from pan and let loaf cool on the rack for another 15 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

Per serving: 174.9 calories, 8.1 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 3 g protein, 23.5 g carbohydrates, 2.3 g fiber, 484 mg omega 3 and 2409 mg omega 6 fatty acids.

Vegan Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin with Quinoa, Pecans, Cranberries and Apples - Happy World Vegetarian Day!

Pre-bake hollow sugar pumpkin before stuffing.

Red, standard color and black quinoa.

Rinse quinoa very well to remove bitter taste.

Quinoa is cooked when liquid is absorbed - around 15 minutes.

Cut the stuffed pumpkin in half for a single serving.

Celebrate World Vegetarian Day with this Meat-free Recipe

October 1st is World Vegetarian Day - the annual kickoff of vegetarian awareness month. Eating meatless meals can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer and prevent exposure to food-borne pathogens. It provides a viable solution to world hunger through more efficient use of grains. To learn more about the benefits of vegetarian eating and to receive a free 16 page booklet, visit the North American Vegetarian Society website.

Quinoa (Pronounced, "keen-wah")

Native to South America, it was considered a sacred staple of the Incas because of its exceptional nutritional value. Quinoa is used as a grain (even though it’s not actually a grain) and is more commonly found in vegetarian cooking because of its excellent balance of all nine essential amino acids. It is also a very good source of manganese and a good source of magnesium and phosphorus. One half cup of cooked quinoa contains 111 calories, 2 grams of unsaturated fat, no cholesterol, 19.5 g of carbohydrates, 2.5 g of dietary fiber and 4 grams of protein.

Quinoa can be sprouted and used in raw vegan cuisine or it can be cooked in only 15 minutes to get a delicate, light dish resembling couscous. It’s very important to rinse quinoa thoroughly or it may taste bitter. Standard quinoa has a cream color but I also found some in red and black. For fun I mixed all three colors to make this pumpkin stuffing but of course, you don’t need to do that.

A Great Vegetarian Entree at Thanksgiving or Holiday Dinners

If you are hosting a traditional Thanksgiving or holiday dinner this year and you find that one or more of your guests are vegan or vegetarian, delight them with this entree. Quite often at meat eating dinner parties, vegetarians must make their meal from "side dishes" always wondering if there's chicken broth in the stuffing. A festive, vegan stuffed pumpkin would make them feel very special. Of course if you are hosting a vegetarian Thanksgiving or holiday party, make lots of these for all of your guests!

As beautiful and festive as this dish is, it's also packed with nutrients and phytochemicals, low in saturated fat, high in fiber and fairly low in calories (for such a filling entree). You can also use this quinoa filling to stuff acorn or other winter squash.

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Vegan Stuffed Sugar Pumpkins [serves 4]

2 sugar pumpkins (around 2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)

2 cups water or broth

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus some for salting pumpkin

1 cup quinoa

1 cup apples, peeled and diced

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons non-transfat vegan margarine plus some for greasing pumpkin

1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries

1/2 cup raw organic pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully remove the tops of the sugar pumpkins. Remove seeds and strings. LIghtly grease and salt the insides of the pumpkins, replace the tops and bake until the inside flesh is soft enough to be pierced by a fork (about 1 hour). Rinse the quinoa in a fine strainer THOROUGHLY or it may have a bitter taste. Bring water and salt to a boil. Stir in quinoa and simmer covered until all the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Add the apples, cinnamon, ginger and margarine to the hot quinoa and stir together. Mix in the cranberries and pecans.

Remove cooked pumpkins from the oven and fill with quinoa mixture. Cover each pumpkin with foil and bake an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove foil, slice each pumpkin in half and serve.

Per serving: 373 calories, 14.1 g fat, 1.6 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 9.3 g protein, 57.1 g carbohydrates and 8.3 g of fiber.

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Curried Gravenstein Apples

Save money and make your own quick vegetable broth.

This sugar pie yielded 5 cups of chopped pumpkin for my soup.

Peeled pumpkin with seeds removed.

Using your Harvest

We grew quite a few little sugar pie pumpkins and although quite a few of them will make their way into pies, a healthier way to use them is in a soup. Since we still have a few boxes of Sebastopol Gravenstein apples, this recipe will also use some of these. You can also substitute winter squash for the pumpkin and other types of apples for the Gravensteins.

Carotenoids - Strong Antioxidants

Red, yellow and orange vegetables are full of antioxidant rich carotenoids. Although Beta-carotene is the most well known, hundreds of carotenoids have been identified. These antioxidants are believed to enhance our ability to fight cancer and other diseases. The power of these and other plant chemicals is enhanced when they are consumed together so it’s best to get them from food than to buy a vitamin pill that has isolated a single carotenoid, like beta carotene.

Nutrient Content of One Cup of Cubed Raw Pumpkin [source, Nutrition.data.com ]

Calories - 30

Fat and cholesterol - 0 g

Carbohydrates - 8g

Fiber - 1 g

Protein - 1 g

Vitamin A - 8,567 IU (171 % Daily Value)*

Potassium - 394 mg (11%)

Riboflavin - 0.1 mg (8%)

Copper - 0.1 mg (7%)

Manganese - 0.1 mg (7%)

Vitamin E - 1.2 mg (6%)

Folate - 18.6 mcg (5%)

Iron - 0.9mg (5%)

Phosphorus - 51 mg (5%)

Thiamin - 0.1 mg (4%)

Vitamin B6 - 0.1 mg (4%)

* In descending Percent Daily Values (%DV) based on an adult 2,000 calorie diet.

Make your Own Quick Broth

You can substitute ready-made broth in this recipe. But if you want to save a few dollars and use herbs from your garden and on-hand veggies, you can throw together a quick broth while you are preparing the rest of the soup ingredients.

Creamy Soup Without the Cream

Whether you are vegan, lactose intolerant or you just want to save some calories, you can make your soup creamy by blending in potatoes instead of cream.

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Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Curried Gravenstein Apples [serves 4]

For the broth:

5 cups filtered water

2 carrots, each cut in three pieces

1 large piece celery, cut a few pieces

Skin and ends of a large onion

Sprig of fresh thyme

Handful of fresh parsley

4 peppercorns

2 cloves garlic in skin, each cut in half

For the Soup:

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 small pumpkin, peeled and chopped (about 5 cups)

1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped Yukon Gold potatoes

3 cups of broth (from above or ready-made)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

2 cups chopped Gravenstein (or other) apple

1 tablespoon Earth Balance or other vegan no-transfat margarine

1 teaspoon sweet curry

Black pepper to taste (optional)

Bring all broth ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, while you prepare the soup (or at least 30 minutes). In a 5 or 6 quart Dutch oven, saute onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of the broth (the above recipe may make a little more than that but only use 3 cups of it), the pumpkin, potato and salt. Bring to boil, then simmer until the pumpkin and potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Put the soup in a blender, blend until just smooth and return to the pot. Adjust salt if necessary. In a small sauce pan, saute apple in margarine and curry powder for 2 minutes, mixing continually. Divide soup in 4 bowls, top each with apples and freshly ground black pepper.

Per serving: 171 calories, 4.1 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 2.8 g protein, 33.9 g carbohydrates and 3.6 g of fiber.

When to Harvest and How to Cure Pumpkins and Winter Squash

Spaghetti squash stems shrivel and dry when ripe.

Some pumpkin stems turn very dark green when ripe. Others shrivel and turn light brown.

Cure in the sun for 10 days to harden skin and extend shelf life.

Is it Time to Harvest my Pumpkins and Winter Squash?

Although we've grown a few pumpkins in the past, this is the first year we had the room to experiment with winter squash and expand our pumpkins patch. They have been really fun to watch grow but I wasn't sure when to harvest them. After all, they are called "winter" squash and I always thought they should be pulled out of the ground right before winter sets in. Well, that may be true in Vermont but here in California, some of these vegetables are ready to harvest, especially if you planted them early in the spring.

I pulled out "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Edward C. Smith to get some expert advice. According to Smith, the two indicators that tell you winter squash are ripe are: (1) the stems begin to shrivel and dry and (2) the skin is so hard that you can't cut it with your thumbnail (although he warns that pumpkin skin may remain a bit soft even when ripe). The stems of my spaghetti squash definitely shriveled and became light brown. The stems of our pumpkins and some of the other squash however, turned a dark green. The stems of my friend's pumpkins, which were larger and of a different type, shriveled and became light brown, similar to our spaghetti squash. I also looked at the seed packets to see how many days until maturation to make sure I had left them in the ground long enough.

Harvesting and Curing

When harvesting, leave a good bit of the stem on the squash and pumpkins, at least an inch. Smith warns not to carry them by the stems or they may break off. He didn't have to warn me. The stems are full of spines and it hurts to carry them that way.

Just like we did with garlic, we need to cure the pumpkins and winter squash if we want to extend their shelf life. But unlike the garlic which we kept in a ventilated shed out of the sun, you want to put the pumpkins and the winter squash in the sun for 10 days.

I'm definitely not going to store all of them so you'll be seeing some pumpkin recipes real soon! Good luck with your harvest.