IN A RUSH? Prefer Another Vegetable? Skip Straight to the Recipes or Switch to the A-Z of Vegetables . PUMPKIN: THE BASICS Large, round and often orange, the pumpkin is a member of the gourd family, which also includes muskmelon, watermelon and squash. Its orange flesh has a mild, sweet flavor and the seeds — husked and roasted — are delicately nutty. It's native to North America! Canned Pumpkin. Canned pumpkin is an economical staple, one of the few whole-food items in the middle aisles of a grocery store. Just be sure to buy "100% pumpkin" not pumpkin pie filling. Better Yet, Make Your Own. It's easy to make your own pumpkin puréee, just roast a pumpkin (see how to, below) and then scrape the flesh. But after too-many watery pumpkins, I switched to something called a Kabocha Squash , it's perfect. In fact, if you look at the labels on cans of pumpkin, it mentions the kabocha squash! Pumpkin Seeds. Pumpkin seeds are called " pepitas ". Pumpkin S...