As a recipe developer, I feel like I'm not supposed to say something isn't worth making. But honesty is the best policy. (DIY puff pastry? Forget about it. Homemade phyllo? Never in a million years.) Some products really are better when the fine-tuned industrial food system works its magic. As we enter the fall season, I want to shed light on a seasonal product that, without a doubt, is not worth the effort: homemade pumpkin pur e9e.
Indiana (about 159.8 million pounds), Pennsylvania (108.8 million), California (105.8 million) and Michigan (104.6 million) followed. Zoom in: Illinois' climate, soil and location - it's in what some call the "orange belt" - make it ideal for growing pumpkins. Much of the state's output is used for the canned stuff you might buy for making pumpkin pie or bread.