All those pumpkins, it must be Thanksgiving....

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere we look.  At first we thought that people were being a bit premature for Halloween, but no, they are just a symbol of Fall and a popular home decoration (along with Scarecrows - this is our front door:)

This is our local grocery store:

And because I can't resist, some more local Fall colours:

We have another local store here which specialises in pies - I think I may have blogged about it before.  In order to familiarise myself with the local customs, I enrolled in a pumpkin pie class through the local Community Centre, which was run by the woman who owns "Life of Pie" and held in the store one night last week.  It was good fun, and I did learn a thing or two.

So, fresh from the class, I made my own.

First, take a pumpkin: 

Looks different, doesn't it?

Next, cook and mash pumpkin and allow to cool, then make short crust pastry.  Add two eggs, cream, milk and spices to pumpkin and pour into pastry shell.

Voila....

It WAS pretty good if I don't say so myself, and much enjoyed by all of us especially John, who pigged out on two slices in one sitting. A bit rich, and not something I'd be hankering after all the time, but fun to see what all the fuss is about.

Now, I have to let you in on a secret.  Everyone here uses tinned pumpkin for their pie.  Even the pie lady! Apparently it tastes the same etc etc, but I just couldn't bring myself to use it, especially for my first one.  (I was accused of being a bit of a Martha Stewart in the pie class, but I took the intended insult as a compliment!)  Is anyone else surprised by this?  Certainly people don't seem to cook as much here: I've heard the term "cooking from scratch" a few times, and always when referring to an extra special effort on the part of the cooker.

My pumpkin pie was made and eaten just before Canadian Thanksgiving, as we had Tom and Keally's wedding in the US that weekend, and the US and Canada celebrate it at different times.  We had assumed that the Canadians were the victims of yet another US cultural invasion in making such a big thing of Thanksgiving, but it turns out that they thought of it first (or so wikipedia says).  So while the US doesn't celebrate it until later in November, for Canada it's the second Monday in October, reflecting the cooler climate (and earlier harvest to give thanks for).


so, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!