But before anyone starts to fret over making one of these wonderful, aromatic treats, it’s not as tough as one might think.

Colleen Bradbury, the kitchen manager and master baker at the Multicultural Heritage Museum in Stony Plain knows what it takes to make the ultimate pumpkin pie. Every day she makes up to three dozen loaves of bread, trays of buns and fresh homemade pies for the Homesteaders Café and Gallery Dining room at the Museum. Her secret to the best tasting pumpkin pie, she says, is getting the freshest ingredients. While she readily admits that gutting, baking, and peeling the real thing, yields the best results, “Who has time?” she asks.

“With people working, and kids and everything, I just use the canned pumpkin. It’s just as good.”

“Spices”, she adds, “are the other key along with concentrated Orange Juice and a pinch of cloves.” But that’s her secret and she winks, “you figure it out.”

Executive Chef Roary MacPhearson of the Hotel MacDonald agrees.

“Using a pumpkin from scratch is great. I like doing it that way. But if I’m gonna do it at home, I’ll use the canned pumpkin. I can’t tell any significant difference in taste and it’s much easier.”

He also prefers to uses fresh spices for a richer taste.

He credits the pies longevity to it’s simplicity and availability at this time of year. He says long before apples became mainstream, pumpkins and sweet potatoes were in abundance.

In fact the earliest pumpkin dish, served at the first thanksgiving feast was a whole pumpkin, the seeds scooped out, and cavity filled with milk, honey and spices, and the whole thing placed in a bed of hot ashes.

Today most recipes call for the pulp of the pumpkin. It can easily be separated from the rind and boiled until soft, or baked for 45 minutes at 325 degrees. The pulp can then be mashed, or blended in a food processor.

The biggest trick to the ultimate pie, according to MacPhearson, is to not over-cook it. If you do it will crack and dry-out. What you want is a smooth cooked filling, much like a rich cheese cake. As for taste, that’s a personal preference.

“I like mine heavily spiced, not bland tasting, so you have to perk it up. I like the ones done at home better, especially if I don’t have to cook them!”

If you don’t want to make them at home,  and don’t mind a leisurely drive to the museum in Stony Plain to pick them up, you can order them from Colleen by calling  963-2777.