Not sure where I read this today (some frugal living forum i guess...), but newho pumkin, the bigs ones used for carving are not very tasty, stringy and just not very good eating... but they are edible.  And right now the're only 1.50 at the walmart nearest me, so i plan try try them out (maybe fry a few thin slices... or dry some strips of them and see if a lot of seasoning can help) and also make some dog biscuits with them (found a few recipes online). I hear pumpkin is good for dogs with diarrhea and constipation, and its good for them with all the beta carotene and other vitamens.

Has anybody else ever tried to use those halloween pumpkins for any thing other than carving?

I buy the mid-sized ones(about basketball size) cut them in half, remove and save the seeds, then bake cut side down on a baking sheet for an hour at 350 degrees or until soft. Then I scrape the edible part out, give it a whirl in my food processor to make it smooth, and use it to make pumpkin bars, bread, and other various desserts. I did this with two of them a few weeks ago and got 6 cups of puree out of them. I froze it in two cup increments.

I haven't tried anything with the huge ones though.

Oh, then I soaked the cleaned seeds in salt water for a while, drained them and then baked them for a long time at about 275 degrees spread out on a baking sheet. Every once in a while I shook the pan or flipped them over so they browned evenly.

Pumpkin bars sound great, Aimee! I'll have to try that with the pumpkins, all I ever do is roast the seeds. I'm so boring!

Kim I have a fantastic recipe for pumkin bars with cream cheese fosting. Soo yummy.  They have to be made in a jelly roll pan though, or a cookie sheet with edges.  I suppose they could be made in any pan you want, they're supposed to be thin though, not like brownies or cake.

Try pumpkin soup.  The cheap, jack-o-lantern pumpkins will work fine if the soup is pureed.  There are all kinds of recipes out and about, but one of my favorites is in the Silver Palette.  It calls for creme freche, but don't be intimidated by that, as it is very easy to make.  Just mix sour cream and whipping cream in equal amounts, cover lightly, and leave on your counter up to 24 hours.  Then refrigerate.  The recipe also calls for an expensive cheese, but you could leave the cheese out or use a less costly choice such as Jack or mozzarella.

For a festive occasion, serve pumpkin soup right in the pumpkin.  To do this, clean out the seeds and bake the pumpkin until soft but still firm enough to keep its shape.  Then scrape out some of the flesh for the soup but leave enough to form a good bowl for the soup. 

I always got a midsized pumpkin, scooped and carved it, and put the cutout bits in a plastic bag in the fridge.  I picked out and saved the seeds, which can be either toasted in a frying pan or you can use a  pan in the oven if you're already baking something else.  After the holiday I cut up the pumpkin and either steamed or baked it until it was soft, together with the cutout bits.  When it was cool I flicked off the skin  and pureed it and froze the good part in small batches.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies are all good.  My salary was small and I never did feel we could afford to waste food or anything else.   I saw neighbors throw pumpkins out and was secretly appalled!

I canned pumpkin for the first time this year.  I got some fairly decent sized pumpkins, cleaned them out, cut them into chunks and boiled them for an hour or so.  Then I let the pieces cool and scooped out the meat of the pumpkin.  I put this through my food processor then put it into jars with a tablespoon of lemon juice on top.  I pressuered the pints for an hour and 10 minutes, and quarts for over an hour and a half (If you're not a canner, you can freeze the pumpkin in ziplock bags).  Now I have cheap pumpkin for cookies, muffins and bread (I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie...).  There are some great pumpkin recipes at Allrecipes.com (the chocolate chip pumpkin muffins are really tasty). 

I've always gutted the pumpkin and then peeled it. Chop into large squares and boil till soft. Drain and mash (just like potatoes).

I've never noticed any taste difference with large or small pumpkins/Jack-o-lanterns when I baked them. My best recipe is pumpkin cookies with lots of walnuts. Yum. (Freeze any cookies you can't use right away because they're a very moist cookie.)

really? no difference in taste with the jack o lanterns and smaller pumpkins? maybe that was just a rumor then... I actually hadnt tried pumpkin before I read that the big ones were edible (not even pumpkin pie, lol) so i still dont know wat the smaller ones taste like. I made a soup with the big one and it was ok, and fried sum (it wasnt that great...) and most of the rest i made dog biscuits with it and my dogs really like it! my cat too, I saw her eating the stringy guts while i was cutting my pumpkin up, who knew cats like pumpkin? But since halloween is over and im pretty sure those pumpkins are going to be 1$ a piece at walmart now,  I think i'll try some pumpkin cookie recipes.

... my freezer is going to be filled with pumpkin mush!!

Right now Giant has the cans of  Libby's pumpkin 2 for $1.  While I applaud your efforts.... store bought canned pumpkin is cheaper and easier!  And to be honest, taste pretty darn good too! 

It is easier to buy canned... and 2 for 1 is better than the sweet small pumpkins that sell by the pound.. but those Halloween pumpkins are even cheaper :) Less than 2 dollars a pumpkin!  and ive gotten quite a bit more than 24 oz. (2 cans) out of one. Im just glad I bought 2 pumpkins b4 halloween... I think walmart trashed the rest after the 1st :'(  wat a waste!! 

Here is a link to my favorite recipie site

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?s_type=%2Frecipes.php&q=pumpkin&Search=Search&Searcht=

There are over 4,000 recipies.  Every thing from soup, pancakes, flan, puree,  vegan stew, cheese cake, fudge, well you get the picture.  The list goes on and on. 

Gut, peel, and chop the pumpkin up in small pieces.  Saute onions & (whole pepper optional) in oil.  Add pumpkin.  Turn constantly and add about a tablespoon of sugar and cook.  You will know when its done because it just melts and you don't have hard pieces.  Add salt. opt. Eat it with rice or as I prefer pita bread.