In the world of pumpkins, there are the varieties that are great for carving – and those that are made for eating. And that huge spooky-faced Jack O’Lantern you created may look great lit up on Halloween night, but it isn’t the best choice for pumpkin pie recipes.
There’s the Carving Kind, Then There’s the Eating Kind
While all pumpkins are edible, the bigger varieties used for carving make poor cooking choices because they contain low sugar, have thin walls, and are stringy.
While you can always puree the meat of these large pumpkins to make soup or pumpkin bread, most pumpkin recipes, such as for pie, need the smaller and sweeter varieties that are 3 to 6 pounds, with names like New England Pie or Baby Pam Pumpkin.
Best Cooking Pumpkins
Here are some varieties of cooking pumpkins you may want to try. Whichever variety you select, make sure it does not have bruises or soft spots. If the pumpkin is greenish when you purchase it, don’t worry, it will turn orange when it ripens in a cool spot (don’t refrigerate).
Baby Pam
This pumpkin weighs in at 5 to 6 pounds, has a deep orange color, and uniform pumpkin-like shape. Its flesh is starchy, dry, sweet and bright orange, making it ideal for pies. It is a popular variety with commercial growers because of its uniformity and high quality.
Peek-A-Boo
Peek-A-Boo Pumpkins are slightly-flattened, with smooth, dark orange rind and slight ribbing, with extra long handles. They are usually about 6 inches wide by 5 inches tall and weigh between 3.5 to 4 pounds. Good for pies.
Long Pie
Also known as the “Nantucket Pie”, this heirloom variety is elongated, and doesn't look anything nothing like a standard round pumpkin. But it is considered to be an excellent pumpkin for pies, since its meat is virtually string-less, smooth and brilliant orange. It weighs an average of 5 to 8 pounds.
Small Sugar or New England Pie
These pumpkins are known for creating delicious pumpkin soup, and are a classic for its superior consistency in making pumpkin pie. If you buy an extra one, you can use it as a festive tureen for your soup. This variety is frequently sold in grocery stores. They weigh from 5 to 8 pounds, are bright orange, are string-less, and are sweet (but not as sweet as the Baby Pam).
Long Island Cheese Pumpkin
This is an heirloom pumpkin variety, and can be hard to find outside of small farm stands (although there are seed companies that carry its seed if you want to plant it in your garden). It is rightly named because of its flattened shape, which is reminiscent of a wheel of farm fresh cheese. It has a very sweet, bright orange smooth flesh that’s perfect for baking.
Trickster
This is actually a mini pumpkin that weighs in at 2 to 3 pounds, that is sweet, deep orange with sturdy long green handles. If you’d like to grow these pumpkins, they ripen the earliest of the pumpkins (in about 90 days).
Winter Luxury
This is an old heirloom variety, with a smooth round form, and thin skin that is netted. The flesh is highly sweet and perfect for pies. It weighs around 6 pounds at maturity.
For facts about pumpkins visit Pumpkin Primer. For a delicious pumpkin soup recipe visit Decadent Pumpkin Soup.
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