From home-baked pies to comforting soups to rich PSLs, pumpkin purée is a necessity in autumnal baking and cooking. As soon as October hits, many of us rush to the grocery store to stock up on cans of the orange, silky stuff.
But many major canned pumpkin companies don’t use actual pumpkin in their product — we know, shocking. We’ll give you a minute.
Instead, popular brands such as Libby’s use a type of squash that evokes a similar flavor to pumpkin: Dickinson squash. And while it shares a family with our beloved orange friend, something about a Dickinson squash spice latte doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
But not to worry — if you want authentic pumpkin flavor without the can of imitation (albeit still delicious) squash, the road to get there is not at all complicated. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to purée your own sugar pie pumpkin, and as a bonus, find out how to roast the seeds.