Pumpkin shortage? Bah! There's plenty to choose from

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​Yes, *gasp*, there might not be as much Libby's canned pumpkin on supermarket shelves right now (as a result of the company's lower-than-usual harvest last year) and as Simple, Good and Tasty points out, cold weather's got some farmers down about this year's pumpkin crop as well, and some might balk at the price of organic canned pumpkin, but if everyone would just sit back and realize how easy it is to make your own pumpkin pie filling, everybody would be happy and fine and all would be well in the world.

It's seriously as easy as, well, pie!

If you've got a small enough pumpkin (you probably don't want to use a giant Halloween pumpkin for baking) just pierce it with a knife a few times around the top and chuck it whole in the stove on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees until you can easily slice into with a knife or skewer -- probably about an hour and a half.

Cool, cut open, remove gloop and seeds (save the seeds for baking later -- awesome!) and mix and use as you would canned pumpkin. In addition to being extraordinarily easy, "Joy of Cooking" says cooking pumpkins and other winter squash whole preserves the most nutrients. Makes sense.

Wondering where to get your baking pumpkin? Simple, Good and Tasty has some great recommendations for starters. If you want more options, it's as easy as consulting your "Minnesota Grown Directory." Not joking, there are 141 farms listed that harvest pumpkins.

Now have at it! And if you still insist on being hysterical, your precious Libby's will be back soon.