October 4th The Great Pumpkin Challenge: Real pumpkin

Did you know that pumpkins do not come from a can? Its true. They come from a field, from a farmer, from a seed.

Too many of us don't know how to get real pumpkin- that it isn't hard or scary- and that you can freeze it so that you have pumpkin all year long.

Step one: Visit a pumpkin patch. This isn't just for picking pumpkins. This is therapy, this is pumpkin healing for the soul. Look out across all those beautiful pumpkins and find peace. Find your inner hippy and grab hold of the biggest pumpkin you can find and give it a giant hug. Then let go of that big pumpkin and find small ones. Yes, small pumpkins are easier to make pie with. So pick several of those bad boys, pay your farmer- give him or her a hug too, and head home.

My favorite pumpkin farmer aka my Dad.

Step two: wash off your pumpkins and break off the stem. Then cut the pumpkins in half and scoop out the seeds and strings, but leaving the "meat" of the pumpkin.

Lola cut them in half and scooped them out, now we just need to flip them over and get them in the oven.

Step three: Preheat your oven to 350. Put your pumpkins skin up on a cookie sheet and let cook for 45 minutes. To know if your pumpkins are done you should be able to take a fork and easily poke through its skin and know that it is soft and ready.

Step four: Pull out pan, turn off oven, and let cool for a few minutes. Then take a spoon and spoon out the meat into a bowl. I let my pumpkin sit for just about an hour to let the water separate itself the pumpkin, I pour the water into the sink, and the pumpkin into my blender. I blend this until its nice and smooth and then I transfer it two cups at a time into a freezer bag and in the freezer it goes. That's it! Its that simple and the next time your making pie, or cookies, or pumpkin roll- you have real from the farm fresh pumpkin to work with.