You know I love pumpkins and squash. My favorite pumpkin for baking and pumpkin butter is the winter luxury pumpkin. It makes a very mild pumpkin pie similar to old fashioned squash pie. Winter luxury pumpkins don't last long--so you basically grow, process and freeze. These pumpkins can't compare to anything you find in the grocery store. When processed, they are great for low fat cooking. Pumpkin butter from these is out of this world. I use Queensland's Blue for pumpkin pie. They have a little more depth to their flavor. They are an Australian pumpkin that will last a long time in your cellar. I still have some in my basement--which is warmer than a typical cellar would be. Now if you want beauty--plant the musquee de provence. It looks like a cinderella pumpkin and is absolutely beautiful. You can cook with it--but I don't. It just doesn't compare to the pumpkins above. My favorite squash is the Potimarron. It's a French squash that has an unbelievable taste. I often wonder what it would taste like if made into pumpkin pie. We usually just eat it straight from the oven. These last a long time. Tori

Thank you for the reply, I'm much relieved =) Seeded mid/late July. This picture (Aug 19th) shows the converted bedroom furniture best. The last two boxes are completely covered with leafs by now. The boards running across the soil surface are just on top and do not separate the soil, they just strengthen the planter. Please ignore the 2 plants in the 2 liter red soda bottles (they have been donated to a friends garden and have room to grow now) My babies are about 5-6 weeks old and the leafs don't have that yellow edge anymore. The plants have 1-3 baby female flowers each (jellybean to small gum-ball size) If I calculated correctly, I should have pumpkins for my soup for Thanksgiving. I'll be growing the pumpkins over side of the house. I'll have a couple of 8 foot boards hanging straight off the roof. Then I'll run nylon strings between the boards to make a poor mans net to keep them high above the ground in as much sun a possible. The roof itself gets too hot for the vines to rest on. I'll have plenty of vine training to keep me busy on my study breaks.

I began reading this and wondered what do I put in my pumpkin pie. I know molasses and cinnamon but what else I make it once a year had to search for the recipe and while I put cinnamon in apparently there is also nutmeg. It's a recipe I found in a story about a farm from when I was a teen. I didn't write down what book or who wrote it. I just remember asking my mother is we could try this recipe this year and she agreed. It has been the recipe for pumpkin pie ever since.

compumom- Here are some gluten-free recipes using pumpkin.... -Grainlady :-) You can make Impossible Pumpkin Pie (a crustless pie) and use gluten-free Bisquick in the recipe instead of regular Bisquick, or follow this Betty Crocker recipe: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/gluten-free-impossibly-easy-pumpkin-pie/1d360c0a-cf13-41e9-afae-2d7c765048cb Another good gluten-free substitute for Bisquick is Pamala's Baking & Pancake Mix: 2-1/2 c. Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix + 3/4 c. butter, shortening or coconut oil (your choice). Cut fat into flour mix. I use this high-fiber baking mix substitute - yields 1-cup: 1/2 c. almond flour 1/2 c. high-maize resistant starch 1/4 t. salt 1-1/2 t. baking powder 1 T. coconut oil Blend together. PUMPKIN PUDDING Makes 6\-servings (This is the recipe I make with the kids at the public library. You will find variations of this recipe on\-line, some use evaporated milk.) 1 can (15\-oz.) canned pumpkin 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice 1\-1/2 c. milk 3.5 oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix (can be sugar\-free) Mix pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl with a wooden spoon. S\-l\-o\-w\-l\-y stir in the milk. Mix well. Add the instant pudding mix and stir slowly for about one minute until it thickens. Leave in bowl, or pour into individual serving dishes. Chill in refrigerator. Nutrition information using regular pudding mix, not unsweetened: Calories \- 110 Fat \- 1.5 g. Sodium \- 270 mg. ALMOND FLOUR PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE This is a recipe I found at Honeyville Grain: http://honeyvillefarms.blogspot.com/2013/10/almond-flour-pumpkin-coffee-cake-recipe.html#.VGEREGctBPA. I actually made half a recipe using some leftover pumpkin puree from making another recipe and baked it in a 7"x4-1/2"x1" individual ceramic pasta dish which yielded 4 servings. A much better size for the two of us.... I used Swerve as the sweetener and palm sugar for the topping. PUMPKIN BREAD (Adapted from: "Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet" \- by Erica Kerwien) 3/4 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 2 t. pumpkin pie spice 2 c. blanched almond flour (suggest Honeyville Grain) 1 c. pumpkin puree (canned or homemade) 1 c. honey (could also use part molasses for more flavor, and I have also used coconut nectar and agave nectar) 2 T. coconut oil (melted) 2 eggs Preheat oven to 350\-degrees F. Grease two 7\-1/2"x3\-1/2" loaf pans. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients in the order listed (baking soda through almond flour); blend well. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, honey and eggs, blending thoroughly. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and blend well. Divide batter equally between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30\-minutes at 350\-degrees F, reduce oven to 325\-degrees F and bake 10\-minutes more. Bake until the outside is nicely brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. \[Note: this bread gets very dark and the baking time will depend on how moist the pumpkin puree was.\] Cool completely on a wire rack and store the bread in the refrigerator, or freeze. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PALEO PUMPKIN BREAD Elena's Pantry: http://elanaspantry.com/paleo-pumpkin-bread/ \[You will find a lot of great gluten\-free recipes at Elena's Pantry.\] ALMOND FLOUR PUMPKIN MUFFINS 2 eggs 1/2 c. pumpkin puree 1/3 c. honey (I use low-glycemic coconut nectar*) 4 T. melted butter 1 t. vanilla 3/4 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 2 t. pumpkin pie spice 2-1/2 c. almond flour (suggest Honeyville Grain) options: add 1/2 c. chopped walnuts and/or 1/2 c. raisins Preheat oven to 325-degrees F. Line a regular 12-muffin tin with paper liners (optional - I also use silicon muffin cups) or grease if not using paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric beater to thoroughly combine all ingredients EXCEPT almond flour, walnuts, and raisins. When batter is blended, stir in by hand the almond flour, walnuts, and raisins. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Bake for 25-30-minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. To make 6 Jumbo-size Muffins, bake for 40-45 minutes. *Homemade version of Coconut Nectar: 1-1/2 c. coconut palm sugar 1/2 c. water Mix together in a small sauce pan and heat over low heat until dissolved. Store in the refrigerator. Can generally be used in recipes calling for honey.