Imagine Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. It's hard to conceptualize, isn't it? And it's hard figure out how to improve on such a great American tradition.

This year, why not make your pumpkin pie like the pilgrims made it hundreds of years ago? By using organic pumpkin, you can give your family the pure, rich flavor and wholesomeness the settlers enjoyed on that very first Thanksgiving.

As per capita pumpkin consumption rises (25 percent since 2003, according to the United States Department of Agriculture), demand for organic pumpkin is also increasing. At Corvallis Farmers' Market foods in Oregon, sales of organic pumpkin have risen 60 percent annually for the past three years.

"More and more consumers are cooking with organic pumpkin because of its pure, rich flavor and abundance of nutritional benefits," says Tracy Miedema of Farmers' Market Foods. "This year's Thanksgiving feasts will include a record number of pies baked with organic pumpkin. We've been tracking this growing trend, and it's not one we see slowing down any time soon."

Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin and Organic Pumpkin Pie Mix contain no fat, trans fats or cholesterol, and are excellent sources of fiber and the disease-fighting antioxidant beta-carotene. Each half-cup serving of organic pumpkin contains 50 calories, 10 grams of carbohydrates and 6 mg of sodium. The organic pumpkin pie mix contains 100 calories per one-half cup serving, 25 grams of carbohydrates and no sodium.

Start a new holiday tradition with

Thanksgiving Morning Organic Pumpkin Muffins:

Ingredients

2½ cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

3 eggs

1 can organic pumpkin

¾ cup cooking oil

½ cup raisins

½ cup walnuts

Cinnamon/Sugar Topping

2 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon

Baking Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until well combined. Add pumpkin and stir to combine. Add oil gradually, stirring to mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix. Do not over-mix. Add raisins and walnuts, stirring just to combine.

Fill 12 large muffin cups or 16 mini-muffin cups ¾ full or two mini-loaf pans and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon/sugar topping to make tops hard and crunchy. Bake for 30 minutes or until tops are firm.