At Market....Pumpkins

Pumpkins by the truckload are arriving at a market near you. Have you been to a pumpkin patch yet? Ours is way out in the country, where any respectable one should be, I guess. Being California, it's usually hot, and always dusty. There are bands, farm animals, a tractor ride, a sunflower field (where a community-wide scarecrow contest takes place) and a corn maze (pictured below).


I love these extra long stems on freshly harvested pumpkins. I wish they left them that way. I choose my pumpkins based on the stem--it must be long, and preferably curled in some way. It gives them more character, don't you think?



Always eager to help support our local farmers, I'm thrilled to fork out $20 for the corn maze...okay, maybe not, but I don't mind all that much. Their year's livelihood must be made in just a few months of sales. A couple of years ago, they lost much of their crop (and some homes) to a fire. We're glad they keep at it!

These are my favorites...the ugly squashes....turbans, kabocha, butternuts, and hubbards (which are actually what canned pumpkin manufacturers use for their product). Their flavor bests even the famed "sugar pie" pumpkin....really.


And what's a trip to the pumpkin patch, without eating a caramel apple? I wouldn't know...we do it every year!


I hope you have a chance to get out and support your local pumpkin farmers too!