The Pumpkin Patch

I remember many a childhood trek through the pumpkin patch, searching for the perfect pumpkin to make a Jack-o-lantern. It's such a fun tradition.

Neither K nor I had been out to the pumpkin patch in years.

So, since K's parents were in town over the weekend, we took them to look at pumpkins and bask in the chilly autumn winds. We're great entertainers.

To say that the farm was crowded is an understatement. It was mobbed, but we looped our way through throngs of people to catch glimpses of the harvest. And those glimpses were glorious.

I've always had a soft spot for miniature pumpkins. They're so darn cute!

This year I've been seeing white pumpkins everywhere. What's up with that? Have they always been around and I just haven't noticed? I must admit they do look appropriately ghostly.

Lately our days have been veritably filled with pumpkins. Yesterday's breakfast was pumpkin muffins, which K helped me to whip up late Saturday night. The muffins turned out rich, moist and tasting just like fall. I thought I might make some more with the leftover canned pumpkin, except then I had this conversation with K:

Me: Hey, did you put that half-can of pumpkin in the fridge?

K: What half-can of pumpkin?

Me: You know, the leftover pumpkin from the muffins we made.

K: What?

Me: Well, the recipe only called for 1 cup of pumpkin, so what happened to the rest of the can?

K: Oh, I thought it said 1 can of pumpkin.

Me: No wonder they were so pumpkin-y.

Anyway, they tasted good!

Tonight we're having roasted pumpkin soup made from the Long Island Cheese pumpkin from our CSA. It's a recipe we made lots in Japan using kabocha pumpkins. It's a pretty flexible recipe, but if I can hammer out some details, I'll share it here.

I hope your weekend was full of autumn fun!

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Thanks to Phyllis and David for braving the crowds with us. And also, to Julia--I hope you enjoy these pictures! Your presence was sorely missed (the pumpkins said hello).