Remember this pantry staple from your childhood? Sure you do. During the long summer months, there it was, staring back at you every time you opened the pantry. Waiting, patiently, until the leaves turned a riot of colors and your breath came in small puffs in the chilly winter air. Then, in an almost hallowed ceremony, the can opener would slowly wind its way around the surface until at last, it would reveal the contents it had been secreting away all year…

Rusted sludge.

We just read about pumpkins on Yom Kippur. As Yonah sat patiently awaiting the fate of Ninveh on a hilltop outside the city, Hashem grew a gourd for him to sit under, then withered it to teach him a lesson in caring. As you (may or may not) know, when Hashem performs miracles, he does them as close to nature as possible. What does that have to do with pumpkins? Let me tell you something… those suckers are HUGE! You’re thinking about the cute little pie pumpkins, but the behemoths we have here are hundreds of kilos, and they use saws to portion them into manageable chunks. And they’re hollow inside. So making one a little bigger for someone to sit inside isn’t all that crazy.

Okay, bible lesson’s over. While it may have been convenient to get canned pumpkin back in the States, here it’s a little tougher to find. So you have to start from scratch. The good news is that it really unbelievably easy to make.

Unroasted Pumpkin

Put the pumpkin on a sheet tray. No oil, no salt. Bake at 200C (400F) until fork tender.

Roasted Pumpkin

Scrape away the burnt edges. Scrape the meat into your food processor.

Pumpkin Puree

Process until smooth.

If you feel there’s too much liquid, let it drain in a sieve until you’re happy.

And there you have it. Now you have as much as you need, whenever you need it, as fresh as it gets. So pull out your pumpkin pie spice and let’s get trendy!

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