RECIPES: 6 canned pumpkin dishes good enough to make any time of year

I am a pumpkin hoarder. I often buy it by the case when I find it on sale after Thanksgiving and Christmas. It started after years of frustration because canned pumpkin generally isn't available at the supermarket year-round.

And that's really too bad. We should be eating pumpkin all the time, as we do most other fruits and vegetables.

So what do I make with all those cases of canned pumpkin?

Pie and bread, of course, but also I stir it into stews and even chili. With just a handful of added ingredients — a sauteed onion and garlic, some spices and broth — a can of pumpkin becomes an almost instant soup. I add it to biscuits and scones and stir it into pancake and waffle batter.