It has become one of GleanKY’s favorite traditions. Every December, after we’ve gleaned as many pumpkins as we can get our hands on, GleanKY volunteers gather to process 100 pumpkins into 100 pumpkin pies. We puree the locally harvested pumpkins, add ingredients donated from a local grocery store, and freeze the pie filling for distribution to our network of agencies just in time for the holidays.
Each year, what we affectionately call our Pumpkin Pie Party has taken a different shape. One year the toddlers and preschoolers at a local daycare helped us process the pumpkin puree and another year we had an all-day bake off with the help of employees from several local businesses.
This year was special because we got to use FoodChain’s Teaching and Processing Kitchen! FoodChain Kitchen Manager, Leandra Foreman (far right), kindly offered to bake the pumpkin ahead of time so that our volunteers could focus on pureeing and adding ingredients during todays party. Whole Foods Market generously donated all of the ingredients necessary to turn the puree into tasty pie filling and our volunteers contributed endless amounts of elbow grease and holiday cheer!
Many thanks to everyone who made this year’s pumpkin pie party a huge success! If you’re are interested in volunteering to process more produce in FoodChain’s kitchen, they have a variety of processing days scheduled this winter. You can check out their calendar here.