This recipe was prepared by Chef John Maxwell on Real Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau’s weekly television program.

Maxwell, a certified executive chef, culinary educator and member of the American Academy of Chefs, shares delicious seasonal recipes in a Real Virginia segment sponsored by Virginia Grown, a program of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Pumpkin growers are busy harvesting, and consumers soon will be able to buy or pick pumpkins for carving, cooking and decorating.

Last year’s shortage of canned pumpkin should not be an issue for consumers this year.

If you use pumpkin pie filling for this soup then there’s no need to add extra spices, said Chef John Maxwell. However, if you use fresh cooking pumpkin or canned pumpkin puree, you can add fresh basil or oregano as well as the seasonings listed in the recipe.

Between Labor Day and Halloween, the stems are cut off of 50,000 to 70,000 pumpkins at Windy Hills Farm in Montgomery County.

Lots of pumpkins will be carved and painted in the coming days. Augusta County horticulturist Mark Viette believes the bottle gourd offers a more sophisticated way to decorate for the fall—and all year long.