Pie Pumpkin

History

Pie pumpkins represent the original culinary purpose of American pumpkins—small, sweet-fleshed fruits grown specifically for eating rather than decoration. While Native Americans cultivated pumpkins for millennia, the distinction between "pie" and "carving" varieties developed after European colonization, as gardeners selected for different traits. The New England Pie Pumpkin, documented as early as 1863 in American seed catalogs, became the gold standard for baking—its dense, fine-grained, non-stringy flesh producing smooth, sweet purees without the watery quality of larger field pumpkins. Interestingly, what most Americans know as "canned pumpkin" is actually made from Dickinson squash—a Cucurbita moschata variety more closely related to butternut squash, grown commercially by Libby's since 1929. This commercial reality has caused confusion, but home gardeners growing true pie pumpkins like Sugar Pie, New England Pie, or Long Island Cheese discover flavors superior to anything canned. The Long Island Cheese pumpkin, named for its resemblance to a wheel of cheese, has been grown since at least the 1800s and was the pumpkin most commonly used in early American cooking. These compact 4-8 pound fruits yield approximately 2-3 cups of puree each, perfect for a single pie. The resurgence of interest in heritage foods has brought renewed attention to pie pumpkins, with farmers' markets now featuring multiple varieties each fall. Making pumpkin puree from scratch requires simply roasting, scooping, and pureeing—a simple process that yields results far superior to commercial canned products.