Pie Pumpkin VS Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin, The Pumpkin Pie Showdown
Pie pumpkins are small, often darker in color and cost roughly $2.86. They yield roughly 4 cups of pumpkin.
Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins are four times the size of pie pumpkins, nearly the same color and cost $4.00. They produce roughly 18 cups of pumpkin.
Canned pumpkin isn’t really pumpkin, but instead a relative of butternut squash, costs $2-$5 a can. It contains just under 1.9 cups of pumpkin.
We did a test – twice. Getting to the bottom of the dilemma was no easy task. Pumpkin was cooked, baked, eaten alone and made into pies, cookies and breads. It was not a job for the faint stomach. The task was a large one but the results are favorable.
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Thirteen samplings were used. Two separate testings were done, each one month apart, showing the same results each time. Tasters did not know which samples were from which pumpkin.
Pumpkins were cut in half, deseeded, cooked in the oven face down on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for an hour or until done. The skin was removed and the pumpkin was utilized.
Samples of fresh hot cooked pumpkin were tested, cooled pumpkin, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cookies were all tested using identical recipes with different pumpkin types. Of the nine samples, three were chosen as “more pumpkin tasting.” However, when these same test subjects were offered the same exact samples they couldn’t determine which tasted more like pumpkin.
No identifying colors, textures or size were noticeable.
The only remarkable difference between the pie pumpkin and the Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin is the Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin contains much more water. The pie pumpkin had the consistency of a meaty squash. The total liquid expressed measured at roughly two tablespoons. The Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin was poured into a piece of cotton fabric and squeezed expelling roughly eight cups of liquid. Even with the expressed water the pie pumpkin yielded four cups of squash, after the liquid was extracted. The Jack-O-Lantern yielded 18 cups after the water was expressed.
The test results showed no identifiable favorite. Of the three samples chosen as favorable in taste, all three changed their minds, after a second sample, saying the choices were no different. Samplings of the cooked hot pumpkin, cooked cooled pumpkin and sliced pie showed the results were inconclusive.
*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, CGP, D.PSc. who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. She has been published in Wise Traditions, spoken at two Weston A. Price Conferences, Certified GAPS Practitioner Trainings, has been on many radio shows, television shows and writes for Nourishing Plot. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia, through food, she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. She is a Chapter Leader for The Weston A. Price Foundation. becky.nourishingplot@hotmail.com
“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.
