You can do so much more with pumpkins than pie. Here are some ideas

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There arewool sweaters, crisp air, the smell of wood smokeand Taylor Swift's Red album playing on repeat.

I love fall. I even get excited to see the ubiquitous pumpkin spice latte although the PSL cold brew is a far superior treat.

The best part of the season is the produce. There are wild mushrooms for creamy pastas, local plums and apples for crisps and homemade cider, and so many varieties of pumpkins.

All the local bakeries and cafs get in on the act with a slew of seasonal pumpkin spice treats, but I burn out on muffins and scones pretty quickly. Here are a few ideas to use up those pumpkins and half-empty cans of puree.

First a little trivia about pumpkins: 1) most pumpkins are edible, and 2) pumpkins are not vegetables. They are actually berries.

The smaller, the better

Here are my favourite varieties for recipes.

Jack-o'-lantern pumpkins:For a long time, I thought the orange jack-o'-lantern pumpkins were too stringy to be of much use in the kitchen. Not so! Those orange globes make beautiful soups and curries. Pick a smaller one. There will be less water and more sugar, so the flesh will be sweeter. I use this variety for more savoury dishes.

Sugar pumpkins: These are the best for baking projects. The texture is incredibly smooth for pies and cakes. I also roast these for soup and I treat them exactly how you would treat a butternut squash. They work when boiled and steamed, but roasted is the best way to bring out that caramel flavour.

I also love these for a vegan feast. I scoop out the sides, leaving the pumpkin shape intact. I cut the flesh into one-inch pieces, toss it with olive oil and spices, then roast in the oven. Mix those roasted pumpkin pieces with wild rice, toasted pecans, dried cherries, herbs, pomegranate and a little lemon juice and olive oil. Stuff it into the sugar pumpkin bowl for a real show-stopper that will make the turkey-eaters a little jealous.

Fairy tale pumpkins:These green magical looking orbs are especially high in beta-carotene, which our bodies turn into vitamin A. I haven't been able to find any this season and that is a real bummer. They have the sweetest flavour and I like them with gnocchi, browned butter, sage and a little parmesan.

Canned pumpkin pure:I actually can't get enough of canned pumpkin pure. The texture can't be beat and my pumpkin pies always turn out perfectly! Pure isn't to be confused with canned pumpkin pie filling that is obscenely sugary and contains a god-awful amount of preservatives. Canned pure usually has no additives. I buy Libby's whenever I can, but the organic farmer's market pumpkin pure has never let me down.

Interestingly, according to Snopes, your pumpkin pure is often made with winter squashes. No matter though, it's delicious and that's what counts. I always end up with some pure leftover, so I tend to fold it into waffle and pancake batter.

Pumpkin Ginger Marmalade

The idea for this dish came for a Newfoundland cookbook written in 1939. I've turned down the sugar content, added vanilla and ginger, and played with the ratios.

4 cups of sugar pie pumpkin, roasted or steamed. I used three-inch pieces, so they'll break down a little faster. I also left the skins on for added fibre, but it definitely made my marmalade less attractive.

Ingredients(Makes a single jar)

3/4 cups white or brown sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger

pinch of salt

tsp vanilla

Roast or steam your pumpkin pieces. They should be soft and fully cooked. I think roasting brings out more flavour, but the toughened exterior takes longer to break down.

Once your pumpkin is cooled, pure it in a food processoruntil perfectly smooth. Put the pure in a heavy-duty saucepan along with the sugar, orange, lemon juice, vanilla, ginger and salt. Cook over a low medium heat. Constantly stir to prevent the purefrom burning for about 10minutes. The jam should be nice and thick.

Take off the heat and let it cool. Scrape into a clean jar. It's beautiful on toast and keeps for a month in the fridge.

Homemade Iced Pumpkin Coffee

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Spice Syrup:

1 cup water

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons pumpkin marmalade (I tested this with the pumpkin marmalade I made above and it was awesome)

1 tsp cinnamon

teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

teaspoon cloves.

For the Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee:

Plain ice cubes or coffee ice cubes

1 cup cold coffee

2 tablespoons pumpkin spice syrup (or more or less, to taste)

Cream

To make the pumpkin spice syrup:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low-medium heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat then let it cool to room temperature. Strain to remove solids.

This syrup should keep for about a month in the fridge. To make an iced coffee, just add 2 tablespoon of syrup, cream, and ice cubes to your already chilled coffee.

Next, add your ice cubes, pumpkin spice syrup, and cream to your chilled coffee. Done!

Pumpkin Soup

Usually, when I make soup, I'm thinking about acidity, sweetness, texture, and heat. Soups need a hint of acidity to be truly balanced. To achieve this, I usually I add lemon juice, lime juice or apple cider vinegar.

Other times, a soup will be too sour and maple syrup, honeyor a little brown sugar is needed to square it out. I want some types of soup to be chunky, but others should be smooth. Finally, I find that a little heat really improves the fullness and mouth feel.

Pumpkin soup is so naturally sweet that I don't end up adding any other sweet element. I add apples for acidity, cayenne and paprika for heat, and I think a nice smooth puree is the way to go here.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

One sugar pie pumpkin

1 large Spanish onion, chopped

6 medium garlic cloves, grated

1 teaspoon sea salt

teaspoon ground cinnamon

teaspoon cloves

Tiny dash of cayenne pepper

tsp paprika

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth

cup full fat coconut milk (optional)

1 honeycrisp apple, chopped but not peeled

cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Cut the halves into quarters. Brush olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, season with salt and pepper, place the cut sides down, onto the baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes. The pumpkin pieces should be very very soft.

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onion, apple, paprika, salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Now, add your garlic. You can peel your pumpkin now that it's cooled, but the skin contains fibre and flavour so you can also leave it.

Add the pumpkin flesh, more salt, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Add your broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. This is a great time to toast some sunflower seeds and chop up some sage. Pumpkin also pairs well with goat cheese, so you could prep that now too.

Your next step is adding the coconut milk or cream both work here.

Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup.Or don't! They're optional. I left out the coconut milk entirely for the photo above and it was still insanely delicious.

Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. For a smooth texture, you canuse an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot.

Serve with sage, crumbled goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds. I made a grilled cheese sandwich to go with this and it was the best.

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