Savory pumpkin dishes

Pumpkin is more versatile than we usually give credit for. It's fallen out of favor for some reason, but it shouldn't have. Not only is is healthy, it's tasty in a variety of ways and it's frugal. Fresh pumpkin is very seasonal, although you can buy canned pumpkin year 'round. Canned pumpkin is a poor substitute for fresh and it's more expensive, too.

If you can, get a pumpkin from the farmer's market or a pumpkin patch or grow them yourself. If you can't do any of those things, get one or two at the grocery store.

Try pumpkin cooked and seaasoned like mashed potatoes.

Slice raw pumpkin thinly, salt lightly and roast like you would pumpkin seeds.

Add cooked pumpkin to a meatloaf instead of tomato sauce.

Alternate sliced pumpkin, potatoes and ham in a casserole.

Cook pumpkin, onions and ham or sausage together for a warm and hearty soup.

Go back and get another pumpkin so you will have one for pies, bread and cookies!

Shortage of canned pumpkin?

I've been hearing this for the last few years. Is there really a shortage of canned pumpkin?

That question was brought about by a tip in the Dollar Stretcher Tips, a weekly newsletter from Dollar Stretcher. (If you don't subscribe, you're missing some cool ideas - go here: http://www.stretcher.com/subscribe/subscribeIF.cfm and scroll down to find it.)

Anyway, the woman who wrote in said that since there was a shortage of canned pumpkin, she had been making "pumpkin" muffins using sweet potatoes because they're cheaper. (Somewhere; not here).

My question is: Since whole, fresh pumpkins are available anywhere in the fall of the year and usually at a cheap price, why would anyone buy canned pumpkin? It's easy to cook and easy to freeze and one pumpkin will yield many, many more cups of pumpkin than a can for about the same price. Besides that, it tastes better and you can use your Halloween pumpkin. Why throw it away, then go and buy pumpkin??