Homegrown Pumpkin “Pie”

Hello tender friends!

Ah, the delights of fall. This weekend in SW Virginia was chilly, and I’ve been indulging in my comfy sweatpants, chicken soup, winter boots, and of course, our homegrown pumpkins! I love my sunshine and vitamin D, but fall is the coziest season for me.

(Why is Cub barefoot in the cold? I don’t know!)

Oh, here it is, the pumpkin “pie.” Oops, I meant to take pictures of the “pies” before we ate both of them, but they ended up disappearing in just one day. Quite curious. 🧐😂

To everything there is a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1). And this is squash “pie” season!

Anyhow, if you’re wondering why “pies” is in quotes, it’s because I know that people have expectations if you market something as a pie. We eat these as pie, but they contain no sugar, so people used to eating store-bought pies would likely be disappointed. But we obviously love them, and half the ingredients come from our home. Here are the steps to make them:

1. Cut south Anna butternut squash (this is the pumpkin for this recipe) in half and remove the membrane. This is a squash that is native to Southwest Virginia and grows very well here. Bake at 400° for approximately 1 hour or until you see the sap coming out. The sap coming out indicates peak sweetness.
2. Add the pre-baked butternut squash to a large bowl with two eggs, a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract, a half cup of milk, a half stick of butter, and cinnamon.
3. Use a handheld immersion blender to blend all the ingredients together until achieving a uniform consistency.

3. Place in a baking dish and bake again at 400° for about a half hour. Stick a fork or toothpick in after 15 minutes to check for doneness. If the fork or toothpick comes out clean, it’s done.

4. Tell your child that this pie is better than any other pie. Watch them consume said pie with gusto and never miss sugared treats!

For an even more indulgent treat, top with blueberries. We have tried a number of fruits and found that blueberries pair best with the pumpkin flavor.

If you have chickens, you already know that they love the membranes of squash. We take them straight out to the coop as soon as we’re done. It only seems right since we’re using their eggs. The squash also come from our garden.

As for the vanilla extract, here’s a bonus tip if you didn’t already know: you can buy vodka and vanilla beans and make your own vanilla extract that is more delicious and less expensive than what you can get in the store. We purchased organic vodka and ordered our vanilla beans from Madagascar, so the upfront cost is higher.

But after soaking our beans in vodka for a year, we realized the flavor of the vanilla extract was extraordinary. We’re only on our first batch right now, but apparently you can use the beans for a second round in new vodka once the product is gone.

We put vanilla extract in tons of what we eat, so it was worth it for us to invest in our own brew. We considered purchasing packaging and selling the extract, but we consume so much of it that we’ve never gotten that far. Quite curious. 🧐 😂

I call this Cub’s “ork face.” Who knew an ork could be so cute?

As always, I’m thankful in every season. I’m especially thankful that eating to heal doesn’t mean never enjoying a treat. The trick is finding treats that work for you!

Okay, that’s all for today! Thank you for stopping by, and thank you to the new friends!

Thank you for sharing!

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