Pumpkin Puree Thread 2011

I think the jarred puree looks too wet as well.  I think the canned stuff is much thicker. 

I think canned pumpkin is just pumpkin.  Pumpkin pie mix has the stuff you need for pie mixed in (and most people don't bother with it).  From looking online, it looks like jarred pumpkin puree is pumpkin, salt, oil, water, or whatever else they throw in.

I'd not use that jarred stuff for anything but soups or curries.  I reckon it would wreck a pie or baked goods calling for pure pumpkin.

I think it may be down to the fact that Libby's isn't actually (sorry guys) made of pumpkin, which is why it tastes so different from other varieties that you buy in a jar or make yourself.  

What's it made of then? The can says 100% pure pumpkin unless you're buying the pie filling.  When you look at the pumpkin puree jars, it says that it's got water, salt, oil, etc.  That's why it's soupy looking.

I'd accept that the pumpkins they use aren't normal pumpkins we'd buy at a farmer's market, but I doubt very much that they could get away with putting butternut squash in there for so many years:

http://www.verybestbaking.com/Libbys/Products/PurePumpkin15oz.aspx

EDIT: This is what I found out about the "Dickinson pumpkin":

http://arlenemarturano.suite101.com/parade-of-the-pumpkins-a75107

Cheese Pumpkins
Long Island cheese pumpkins resemble flattened wheels of cheddar. Their color is butternut like their close squash cousins. A smooth skin, stringless interior, and sweet flesh are characteristics prized by cooks.

Dickinson Pumpkins

Libby’s® popular canned pumpkin puree comes from the same pumpkin species as the cheese pumpkins, C. moschata, but a different crème colored cultivar, ‘Dickinson.’

Libby’s® grow acres of the very productive pumpkin in Morton, Illinois. Home gardeners may obtain seeds for the excellent baking pumpkin through Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa.

And here with an explanation that there's really no definition of a pumpkin and cool picture:

http://blog.formaggiokitchen.com/2010/10/15/pumpkins-more-than-just-jack-o%E2%80%99-lanterns/

So yeah, looks like Libby's pumpkins are related to butternut, but I stand by the fact the jar stuff wouldn't work because of the other ingredients.

Well they are a pumpkin variety and aren't all pumpkins related to butternut as they are all squashes? 

I mean there are a ton of pumpkin varieties anyway. 

Not not the UK kind of squash. 

From what I've read (I actually don't have the time to do a full web survey) the 'pumpkins' that Libby's use are much more akin to squash, but pumpkins and squash are very, very similar animals.  Er, vegetables.  The only reason I brought it up was to offer an explanation as to why homemade pumpkin puree (which I have made and used- using differing varieties of pumpkins) is so different from the lovely canned goodness that is Libby's. 

Well, I didn't do a "full web survey", nor do I have time for one either.  I just wondered why some people keep bringing up that Libby pumpkins weren't pumpkins and not showing where they are basing it.  I wasn't trying to be all class nerd about it, but I have asked on here before with no answer.

From my not exhaustive "web survey", Libby pumpkins are pumpkins.  They are just more closely related to butternut than the pumpkin you buy in the produce section (which are, apparently, more related to summer squash and acorn squash), and are stringless.  Which is probably why they are used over other species or cultivars.

When I make homemade pumpkin puree from what we used to call "pie pumpkins", it looks more like Libby's than the stuff in jars.


ETA: Supposedly, the really big pumpkins which win awards are a different species from either and are related to Hubbard and kabochas.

I saw our Waitrose had some canned Libby pumpkin today! only 1.39 per can. Totally going to scoop some up!

Wow, calm down.  Sorry, I didn't mean to cause offence, I was simply stating something I read an article on in a newspaper.  I also saw some supporting articles regarding pumpkin/squash on the internet, but honestly it's not that big of a deal to me to be wrong about pumpkin species.  Frankly, it isn't my area of expertise, and certainly not enough of an issue to me to raise my hackles.  Again, apologies for causing offence to anyone regarding pumpkin genotypes.

And, now back to our regularly scheduled programming.  Checked Waitrose around Hove, actually and no love yet.  Still hoping!

From my not exhaustive "web survey", Libby pumpkins are pumpkins.  They are just more closely related to butternut

That's interesting. On year, I used butternut squash for a pie because I couldn't find pumpkin and it worked really well.

Hmmm. Butternut squash, eh? I made pumpkin puree last year and it was alright but I wasn't that impressed.  I have no idea what kind of pumpkin it was, just whatever Tesco was selling as clearance when Halloween was over. It was stringy and just kind of meh.  I might try to make some with butternut squash instead and see how that fares.

Any winter squash is a good pumpkin alternative :-). Combining different types makes nice textures and flavours as well! :-)

My pumpkin puree always turns out fine. I just cut up and roast a couple of pumpkins and peel and chuck them in the food processor. It turns out fine for baking if you strain it a few times to thicken it up. It works fine for baking, but does have a milder flavour. It's just so messy and time consuming that I was hoping to avoid it this year. I had a lot left in the freezer from last year but DH threw it away when we moved. *gasp* The horror!

I checked, and the stuff I got has pumpkin, water and sea salt.  No oil.  It says 'use in pies...' though?  So is this just crazy foreigners not knowing how to make proper pumpkin pie, or should I chance it?  (Bearing in mind that when something I'm making doesn't turn out, I get very cranky)

I checked, and the stuff I got has pumpkin, water and sea salt.  No oil.  It says 'use in pies...' though?  So is this just crazy foreigners not knowing how to make proper pumpkin pie, or should I chance it?  (Bearing in mind that when something I'm making doesn't turn out, I get very cranky)

I'd suggest cooking it down a bit to get rid of the water.  In my family, we used to do this even with the regular canned pumpkin.  It makes the flavour more concentrated and the custard creamier.