The tiny pumpkins are actually gourds that look exactly like pumpkins but they still have the power. Pumpkins are actually a kind of squash, an orange winter squash, and a member of the gourd family.

I "butcher" our pumpkins by cutting them into wedges like an orange. Then I cut the slimy part out with a grape fruit knife. Then I peel the skin off with a potato peeler.

I boil them like potatoes with a little salt, drain and mash them with a potato masher and Voila, ready for the spices, eggs, milk and sugar for pie filling.

The stuff you buy in cans looks like baby poop to me. Fresh pumpkin tastes much better than canned pumpkin.