Pumpkin Pies

_Suggestions_--Select a dark, rich-colored pumpkin with deep indentations and thick meat. Some of the small sugar pumpkins are very nice.

Good pies cannot be made out of coarse-grained, watery pumpkins.

Baked pumpkin makes richer pies than stewed, with less work. To bake, cut or saw a pumpkin into halves, and if large, cut into quarters; place on a large tin and turn another over it; bake until tender.

To boil, cut in strips, remove fibrous portion from center, cut in pieces and put over the fire in some thick-bottomed utensil, either copper, re-tinned, or iron; add just enough water to keep it from burning and simmer slowly, stirring often, for several hours until the pumpkin becomes a rich brown and is well dried out. Rub through colander while hot.

Pumpkin may be steamed in strips, unpeeled, but is not so rich.

The question of peeling is an open one; many claim that the rind gives a richer flavor to the pies as well as a darker color, while others fear it may give a strong flavor.

“The real genuine old-fashioned golden-brown pumpkin pie our great-grandmothers prided themselves on” is made without eggs.

Long, slow baking is necessary to the perfection of pumpkin pies.

Cover crust of pies with a circle of paper if in danger of becoming too brown.

Meringued patty pan pies or tartlets are very dainty and nice.

The addition of ¼ cup of date pulp (½ cup of dates steamed and rubbed through the colander) to the filling for each pie gives a more old-fashioned flavor, without harmful condiments.