Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin roll. Pumpkin cookies, bread, and squares! oh my! Don’t you love seasonal eating? It makes those treats so much more special. A lot of baking gets done this time of year and as the busy holiday season gets closer, many people reach for canned pumpkin to save time.
I often use winter squash, like acorn or butternut, when I bake “pumpkin” treats, and this surprises people. Squash pie just doesn’t sound as appetizing, I guess. But when you buy canned pumpkin at the market, you are just as likely to be purchasing winter squash as pumpkin, even though the can is clearly labeled “pumpkin”.
All winter squash are not pumpkin, but all pumpkin are winter squash. They are, indeed, very closely related botanically. (And just to confuse things, in some parts of the world, all winter squash is called pumpkin).
 According to About.com:
There are four species of winter squash – curbita pepo (acorn, spaghetti and others), cucurbita moschata (calabaza and others), cucurbita mixta (butternut and others), and cucurbita maxima (hubbard, turban, banana and others) with pumpkin varieties in all of them.
I know that I was a bit surprised when a local pumpkin farmer first told me that most canned pumpkin is actually squash. And when I mentioned this recently on facebook, a reader found my statement difficult to believe. I directed her to the FDA Compliance Policy Guide which says that pumpkin and squash are sometimes mixed intentionally to obtain a desirable consistency, and that the designation “pumpkin” is considered in compliance with regulations even when the contents contain squash, or a mixture of squash and pumpkin.
So, what do you think? Should the label be more specific about the contents?Â
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Sheila says
Wow. This title got me. I was scared at first! Since it is still a healthy squash varietal I am not so concerned for health reasons but for recipe consistency-yes! It would be kinda cool to know the varieties too.
tash says
I agree, I would like to know at least the species if not the exact variety. I keep planning on growing or at least processing my own from scratch but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Plus it’s not something that can be home canned so it needs to be stored dry and processed as needed, or processed and frozen for convenience.
Kimmy says
You can get wonderful pumpkin puree from Long Island cheesewheel pumpkins/squash. They are beautiful to grow and are even a very pretty ornamental. I’ve grown them for years with amazing results and the sweetest and smoothest puree when done. Highly recommend planting them. This is what Libby’s uses almost exclusively is what I was told some years back.
Rhvonda says
Pressure canner for low acid foods but yes it can be canned if do it right
Donna says
I disagree with Rhvonda.. all the literature I’ve read about pumpkin is the only safe way to can it is to can it in cubes done in a pressure canner.. you cannot can mashed pumpkin..
At least that is everything I’ve read..
Cheers
Mary Keller says
According to several canning books I’ve read, including Canning and Preserving for Dummies, says that winter squash can either be cubed or mashed/pureed prior to processing. Frankly, if merchants can can it to sell in the store, there would also be a safe way to do it in the home. I have both canned and frozen pumpkin puree and never had a problem.
Laura says
It’s always frustrated me that foods that come in cans in the store: pumpkin puree, creamy soups, etc. cannot be safely canned at home. I’m thinking that factory canning must be even hotter or something to be able to heat through these types of items rendering them shelf stable. As far as pumpkin or any thick puree, it is the potential for the heat of the canner to not reach the middle of the thick puree in a low acid food like pumpkin. This could carry a strong risk for botulism. I prefer Lynda’s method.
Charlene says
Donna is right. The USDA says you should NOT can pureed pumpkin. All these other books and website, yes, including Canning for Dummies, are simply wrong.
Lynda says
You can process squash and pumpkin by canning. You should not can the puree…I can chunks and puree as needed. We grow several hundred acres of butternut and pumpkins commercially for seed…I prefer the butternut for our pies, cookies, muffins and soup.
donna says
my exact reaction and feeling!
donna says
my comment was meant to be in response to Sheila
Laura says
This is really not a big deal . . .
erin says
I bet you think GMO’s in your food are not a big deal either….People like you not caring is why they get away with that kind of deception…
Susan says
Hi Erin, I ask respect in all comments. I assume that you don’t know Laura, and if that’s the case, you don’t know what she thinks about GMOs. The two issues are certainly not the same.
Charlotte Moore says
Cushaw is another pumpkin family member. My husband grew some about 4 years ago. It was amazing to watch them grow. We had never heard of them until a friend gave him the seed. It takes alot of space for them to run…. I used them just like I would pumpkin.
Vickie says
Hahah – I think this is funny! My husband hates winter squash, and yet his favorite pie is pumpkin pie! Shhhhh….. Don’t tell him that a pumpkin is a squash! LOL!
Ariane Huba says
I think this is awesome, and it makes me feel better about having to use canned pumpkin! Also, I love your blog
Mary West says
My husband has a fatal allergy to squash. We read labels very carefully. He can tolerate pumpkin but usually avoids it. Proper labeling of food can be life or death for some people.
Mike says
But…pumpkin IS squash. Why is this so hard for people to understand? Look at a pumpkin and a kabocha squash (or any of dozens of other winter squash) side by side and tell me they look drastically different.
So it really isn’t all that “deceptive” to label a can as “pumpkin” if it contains some “squash.”
CC says
Right Mike! If the can says its 100% pumpkin, then it is 100% squash. A pumpkin is just one type of squash. I do think the labeling laws should require stating WHICH type of squash it is – whether its pumpkin, or butternut, or acorn, or some other type. But frankly every can I’ve used seemed to be consistent in taste and consistency. I’m fine with eating all types of squash. I do buy organic and I’d love to find BPA free cans. I appreciate the article.
Rachel R. says
Because pumpkin is squash, but squash is not necessarily pumpkin. If, for instance, you labeled a can “squash” and it included zucchini, that would be accurate labeling. If, on the other hand, you labeled a can “zucchini” and filled it with yellow squash, that would be incorrect/deceptive. It’s the same idea here. They’re labeling the cans as containing a SUBSET of something when, in fact, the contents may not be from that subset at all.
dawnna says
Keep in mine re: allergies. We bought a seedless watermelon and after having some my daughter broke out in hives all over her mouth and face. We couldn’t understand why. She has ate watermelon her whole life and never had this happen before. This was the first time we bought a seedless variety. Come to find out, it wasn’t the seedless that was the issue. It was the sprays used on that watermelon! Something to also think aboit!
Jacqueline @ deeprootsathome.com says
Hi, Susan,
I shared this on FB. It is true, this mixing of squash family, and I personally think many of the squash taste better (such as butternut) than pumpkin (at least the ones I’ve grown for baking) side by side! Good to know and interesting, too.
Blessings!
Pamela says
My niece just told me this week that she opened a can of pumpkin and it tasted like squash. I don’t know why they don’t release that in the label. I use Libby and would still buy it.
Kara says
I happen to prefer butternut squash pie to pumpkin pie. However, I think that companies should be required to disclose exactly whats in their containers. I have a right to know what I’m buying. If I’m buying canned pumpkin and is says that it’s just pumpkin, then it should be just pumpkin. If there’s squash, then it should say so.
Jamie @ Coffee With Us 3 says
I would like to know exactly what is in the can I’m buying, but it wouldn’t stop me from using it. I bake with winter and summer squash, and it really doesn’t bother me at all… but I am bothered that the products we buy don’t have to be correctly labeled.
Rachel says
Wow, I had no idea! But squash in the can instead of pumpkin is actually okay with me.
Terry Oliver says
I have heard this before from farmers at their markets, so, no surprise. I dont really care if the “pumpkin” in the can is some other squash as long as it’s non-GMO and in a BPA-free can! Sigh- I am SO tired of reading labels, but certainly have to because of food restrictions (ie: celiac and soy allergy). Anyway, I have been cooking from scratch for years and probably will be forever!
Kristen says
Well I definitely don’t think they should have “100% pure” anything on the label if it’s not true. I think calling it pumpkin is fine because it is more appealing and that’s just marketing, but deliberately lying about the entirety of the contents, that’s just wrong.
Kristen says
shouldn’t* (haha)
Kristen says
oh my gracious, I must be more tired today than I thought, I’m reading everything wrong and I just corrected a typo that wasn’t even a typo, lol
Kimmie says
Thanks for the laugh, Kristen. 😉
The Grand Fern Alley says
I use pumpkin and winter squash interchangeably when making “pumpkin” pie. Like others have said, many of the winter squashes make awesome pies!
Should it be labeled clearly on the can? I suppose it should. Does it make a difference for life in general. Probably not.
Others commented earlier about not canning the puree. I found that out the hard way when a dozen cans of plain pureed pumpkin all went bad. Upon doing a bit more research, I discovered that pureed pumpkin/winter squash CAN be safely canned if sugar is added…thus raising the acid levels to a safe level. So, I did another batch, adding sugar according to the recipe I’d found online along with pumpkin pie spices. Not a jar of that batch went bad! And our family didn’t get any “colly wobbles” in our tummies, so I’m assuming all is well on that front, too.
I’ll have to find my recipe and see who’s website I got that info from…
Laura says
How can sugar raise the acid level in pumpkin a low acid food?
Articles abound against the home canning of pumpkin puree with added sugar or not.
http://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinprecautions.php
http://foodinjars.com/2010/10/canning-101-why-pumpkin-butter-cant-be-canned/
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/safe-survival-canning/
Kristelle says
Honestly… as long as it’s real food and hasn’t been genetically altered.. I don’t care if it’s squash or pumpkin or tomatoes or broccoli!! I just hate that a lot of “food” now a days was “invented” or “discovered”… please, just let nature be nature and that can be our food!!
Lisa Bertolini says
Even if it’s labeled 100% pumpkin?
Susan says
As far as I know since the FDA says that squash may be used even if the label says pumpkin.
Marlene says
My mother canned pumpkin puree (spiced, for pumpkin butter) for years, and it was always yummy. I am 76 years old this year, so that was a long time ago. We never had a spoiled jar, and it was delicious. For pies, she would just add the milk & eggs, and probably some more sugar, put it in a crust, and bake it.
Ma Kettle says
Me, too. I canned pumpkin puree before ever reading it “could”not be done and it was fine (It was a GIANT pumpkin from hubbie’s office decor: made LOTS of jars.) I understand bacteria and whatnot continue to change over time and I now freeze puree just in case.
Also, I find real pumpkin, regardless of “pie” vs “giant” vs “carving” type is quite watery when cooked so I have to drain it and slowly cook it “down” to the preferred consistancy (or not add liquid to the filling recipe) anyway. If squash is drier, that saves me a step in prep.
spike says
Why was this surprise to everyone? We started using regular pumpkins about 3 years ago, if you take you time the end result is total different in taste and feel. We didn’t puree it per instruction, we drained as much water as we could, ran a hand mixer spooned pumpkin into a larger muffin tin and then freeze it.
Jenny says
Great post! I’ve chosen it as one of my features for tomorrow. Thanks for sharing it with us at the HomeAcre Hop.
Susan says
Awww. Thanks, Jenny!
Kimberly says
Heirloom Gardener magazine did an article a while back on canned pumpkin and how Libby’s has used Dickenson or Dickinson (goes by both spelling) Squash since the beginning. It is a heirloom veriety of C. Moschata squash. It looks like a pumpkin. As interesting as I found the article, and even bought and grew some of the seeds. I think that the average grocery shopper when looking for ingredients to make their pumpkin pie, don’t really care about an education in the different strains of squash. If it looks like a pumpkin it must be type attitude. Really the only time that it matters what the strain of winter squash it is, is in growing them because squash of different strains cannot cross. But different VERIETIES within the same strain can cross.
When you stop and think about it, there is a lot that goes into their selection for canning, because they need squash that is not watery, and very dense so you get the most product after it is cooked down, tastes great, and a vine that is a large producer on top of it all.
There are a lot of squash that are sold for decorations at halloween as “pumpkins” but are really C. Moschata or even C. Pepo (mini pumpkins). But there are a lot of C. Moschata (like Candy Roaster), that if you told someone it IS a “pumpkin” they would look at you funny.
Kimberly says
Oops! I mean’t. There are a lot of C. Maxima (like Candy Roaster)
hehe
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Gentle Joy says
I didn’t know this… thank you for sharing this.
Susan Vinskofski says
You’re very welcome!
Tracy @ OurSimpleHomestead says
I always mix my squash and pumpkins together when I bake pies. The actual squash does make a thicker pie and know one ever notices the difference. It is the spices that make the pie the squash/pumpkin is just the texture. I guess my secret is out now:)
Susan Vinskofski says
I actually prefer the squash over pumpkin because it’s thicker!
Therese says
This is all so funny to me being an Aussie. This year our family plan to do Thanksgiving to explore a different culture and intend to make a pumpkin pie. I have to say as a non American it fascinates all the things supermarkets there seem to sell in cans. There is no such thing as canned pumpkin puree and I’ll be making from scratch with butternut pumpkin. In Australia butternut is always labelled as pumpkin and sold along side other pumpkin varieties. It is often preferred when making pumpkin soup or baby food and roasted weekly along side the potates with the lamb or beef, due to it’s smooth and rich flavour. For me the word squash means zucchini or those small round often bitter things that grow like zuchinnis. I wouldn’t be too worried about what sort of pumpkin or squash it is, as long as it’s non gmo and tastes good. After all it’s just another vegetable and very good for you.
Susan Vinskofski says
I hope you have fun celebrating Thanksgiving! Yes, words mean a lot of different things to different cultures! Thanks for visiting.
Rachel R. says
Ugh. I don’t mind that they use squash. I DO mind that they are permitted to be inaccurate or misleading in their labeling. For most of us, maybe it isn’t a big deal, but the entire POINT of labeling is supposed to be so that we know what is actually in our food. As someone else mentioned, what if someone has an allergy to some squashes but not to pumpkin? They need to know the difference. And consumers should not have to read the FDA’s entire set of guidelines to know what a simple ingredient on a label REALLY means. Producers should have to label their foods in a way that makes intuitive sense to the average consumer. (That also means they shouldn’t be able to do stupid things like label something as “beef patties” when they’re really “beef and soy patties,” IMO — even if the ingredient list mentions the soy. It’s not what most consumers think when they see “beef patties,” and they know that full well — it’s why they do it.)
Susan Vinskofski says
Agreed!!!
Ellie says
I think the same thing. Everything says pumpkin cannot be canned…. but it doesn’t make sense to me. If they can squash? So I think they must be lying. Leaves me to think that there is something important in pumpkin that is very beneficial for us.
That being said, I am going to dehydrate my pumpkin and try your recipe! Very excited about that!
I am going to do some research and see what is so important about pumpkin!
Susan Vinskofski says
Neither pumpkin nor squash can be safely canned at home in the mashed form, but may be canned in a pressure canner in chunks. The density of the mashed product prevents adequate heat transfer to the center of the jar and might allow harmful bacteria to survive. Commercial canning equipment reaches pressures which kills botulism spores. Home equipment can only kill the active botulism, but does not destroy all (or enough) of the dormant spores – which are present everywhere. Hope that helps.