The article, promising a recipe for Long Island cheese pumpkin pie, starts off telling us it was never a commercial hit. I immediately thought the name was to blame. Who wants to eat a pumpkin pie with cheese in it? But maybe it's cream cheese, which might be good. Then I find out that the pie is made from a "cheese pumpkin," which isn't grown nearly as much as other varieties. Of course not, who wants a pumpkin that tastes like cheese? But that's not how the pumpkin got that name -it was named that because its shape and color makes it resemble a wheel of cheese.
The article is not so much about pumpkin pie, but for those dreaming of next year's garden. The reason the cheese pumpkin didn't become commercially successful is because its shape kept it from rolling through a mechanized harvesting process as easily as round pumpkins. They taste wonderful, and can be grown in a variety of environments, including the Mojave desert. While a cheese pumpkin is the same species as the pumpkin puree you get in a can, this heirloom variety is infinitely adaptable, especially when you save the seeds and grow subsequent generations. Cheese pumpkins are becoming popular with backyard gardeners who cook their own pumpkins. Read about cheese pumpkins, and find a recipe for Long Island cheese pumpkin pie, at Atlas Obscura. There is no cheese in it, just as there is no tea in Long Island tea.
(Image credit: Badagnani)