October is for Pumpkins

[bironic]

Mmm, harvest.

October is the best part of the best season of the year. The leaves change, the air crisps, the sky turns an intense blue. There are harvests and pumpkins and apples and baked goods and cider and hay and Halloween.

The rain and my cold notwithstanding, this morning I drove out to experience as many of the above as possible. About an hour into Virginia from D.C. is a century-plus-old family-run farm that was listed among many in the local entertainment magazine this week. I liked its name—Crooked Run Orchard—and its website, so I chose that one. Even though once again I managed to miss peak apple-picking season, I did pass some beautiful orange- and red-tipped trees on the drive out into the hills, like Bob Ross paintings; saw the Blue Ridge Mountains not too far in the distance; walked around in the muddly, thistly pumpkin and gourd fields; and came back with:

- Three medium-sized pumpkins for cooking—two green-striped ones the guys working the farm stand said were delicious, and a Blue Moon variety, also for cooking, because, hi, it's blue;
- A butternut squash;
- Some string beans, picked from between rows of sunflowers; and
- A half-gallon of cider. Yum.

I was going to make an apple pie, but for lack of apples, plans changed to pumpkin pie. Then, lacking a rolling pin and table space and oomph, that became pumpkin bread instead. Have never tried making it before, but I like eating it, so that should work out. One of two loaves is in the oven riiiiight now. It smells divine.

How about an autumnal picspam?













What rustic portrait is complete without John Deere farm equipment?





roga-style:

























I call this, Still Life with Apple Bucket.









Caption says: "'The Structure of the Universe.' Notice the lovely supernova and the terrifying black hole."





And this one's for you, sis:







And before I forget: Recipes welcome for butternut squash soup and pumpkin pie! Or other things to do with pumpkins -- since I've used only one of the three and just half of it went into two bread loaves.

Comments

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

PRETTY!

"Beats." Hee. I have a delicious recipe for pumpkin pie, but I've never made it with Real Pumpkin -- only the canned stuff, so I don't know if it would work for you.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

While walking around with deelaundry for a brief time this afternoon, I also saw a sign that said: "%30 to %70 of."

Some of the pumpkin bread recipes included equivalents of fresh pumpkin vs. canned, so that should be all right. Heck, maybe I'll make two and bring them in to work - those pumpkins have to go somehow.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Recipe in a bit -- Mr. N is actually expecting some help in the kitchen. The nerve!

;-)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Pssh, whatever.

This is the pumpkin bread recipe I used, with a couple small modifications (i.e. I don't have allspice or nutmeg, so used pumpkin pie spice, and cooked for less time). Just nibbled a piece off the first loaf, and it tastes great.

http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/pumpkinbread.php

Um, just brace yourself for the font size/color.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Finally. And I totally second Topaz' rec of deep-dish frozen pie shells.

Pumpkin Pie

3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups canned pureed pumpkin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup half-and-half

Preheat oven to 450.

Beat eggs and both sugars together until light. Stir in pumpkin puree, spices and salt and mix thoroughly. Stir in cream and half-and-half.

Pour in pie shell.

Bake at 450 for 8 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, or until filling is set (a knife inserted in the center comes out clean).

Cool completely before cutting.

From The Silver Palate Cookbook

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I did not realize there's so much cream in it! Though I suppose I should have - what else gives it that gooey texture?

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

*g*

Yeah, Silver Palate has some pretty rich recipes. All that cream ... great mouth-feel. Heh. Other recipes don't use this much.

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Gourd Guy is awesome. :-D

Tenderflake deep-dish frozen pie shells are fabulous for pies. No rolling required. :-) They come in tart size, too.

I'm making pumpkin pie this weekend! I use the canned stuff, alas. That said, once you render your fresh pumpkin:

1.5 cups pumpkin
1 can (300 mL, or 10 oz) condensed milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger, nutmeg to taste (we like ours spiiiicy)
Mix well.

Pour into 9-inch unbaked deep-dish frozen pie shell.

Bake in 425 degree oven 15 minutes; turn oven down to 350 and cook about 35 minutes more, or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Covering the edges with tin foil keeps the crust from browning too much. Yummy.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I can't shake the thought that using pre-made crust is cheating if you're going to make the filling -- all or nothing! -- but that does look do-able and potentially tasty.

ETA: That is not a judgment on your baking, but a comment on growing up with my baker-hobbyist dad!

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Heeeee! No worries, I hear you about the pre-made crust. I make my pie crusts these days because they need to be gluten-free. (I have a great recipe for that too if you'd like.) Frozen crusts do well in a pinch--Tenderflake is the best.

I swear by this recipe. :-) It's from the Eagle brand condensed milk can.

[blackmare.livejournal.com]

October is my favorite time of year.

Sadly, October in Minnesota has been cancelled and we've gone straight to December.

:-(

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you'll backtrack in a bit, melt the snow and have a decent transition?

[blackmare.livejournal.com]

I had hoped so, but the ten-day forecast is for snow, rain, more rain, a little more snow.

Already, the trees are shedding reams of still-green leaves all at once. We've got some color but the sudden cold is taking out much of what would have been our fall display.

It's rather depressing. I'd been looking forward to something that isn't going to happen this year, and it doesn't bode well for the kind of winter we're likely to have.

What was all that stuff about global warming, again?

[thedeadparrot.livejournal.com]

I made pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin yesterday, and it is delicious. I have used this recipe, which also has a link to a recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds. :)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

That is the site whose recipe for pumpkin bread I just used, and it was tasty! That is a good sign.

[roga.livejournal.com]

OMG gorgeous photos! And so jealous at your scenery (and loling at roga-style :D). I kind of want to make an icon out of your pumpkin pic, except I'd just see it and it would remind me of the kind of weather I'm not having and place I'm not living in and vegetables that don't really grow where I live.

Seriously, though, yay for pumpkins.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Aw. Well, you have fruit trees that are exciting to me because it's not tropical enough here - not that I envy you the weather one bit. :)

[elynittria.livejournal.com]

Fall is my favorite season, too. We're having a beautiful, picture-perfect October up here.

Love the "Do not pick beats" sign. Is that supposed to be a warning for musicians? *giggles*

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Finger-strumming only? Poets that grow from the soil? :)

I bet your October is even more brilliant than Virginia's. Nothing beats New England foliage.

[purridot.livejournal.com]

FALL! I love fall. I have always imagined fall in New England to be perfect (which, looking at your pics, it is!)

You're quite the little homemaker! Wish I could share that pumpkin loaf with you.

I carved a Halloween pumpkin this weekend for my 5-year-old nephew, who is visiting from Japan (where they do not have Jack O' Lanterns (sp?). When he touched the slimy pumpkin innards he kinda freaked. But I enjoyed it (though I'm no Martha Stewart).

Apple Pie is one of my absolute favourites! I've got a KILLER recipe in which you use honey instead of sugar. BUT if you don't like to fuss with pie crust, I have another awesome recipe where you make it the French way, a Tarte Tatin. Much easier than screwing with pie dough but just as fabulous!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

If ever we meet, we will have to bake something!

Slimy pumpkin innards are kind of freaky, aren't they? I took heart this time because sticky meant sugar and sugar meant tasty tasty pumpkin bread.

Now, if only there were a better way to peel a pumpkin... I mean, any way is probably better than the one I tried. (Cut and cut and cut and cut some more.)

Pie recipe with honey instead of sugar sounds excellent for the insulin. Also, tarts! Share away if you've got it!

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

LOLOL. WHAT IS IT WITH YOU PEOPLE AND PUMPKINS? XD

Seeing as we don't have Halloween or Thanksgiving here... the shops are full of Christmas merchandise already. Trees and decorations and food. IT'S OCTOBER FFS.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

The Halloween stuff started peeking out from the shelves in August, so. Yeah.

For me, pumpkins are part of this national/historic mythos that for some reason, I love buying into. It's like how some people are comforted by rituals at Christmas or Passover? I love breathing fall air and getting a pumpkin and eating apple pie. Part family tradition, part tapping into this tale of harvests and Pilgrims and approaching winter and the dead.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Oh, I do understand, I was just being, you know, annoying *g*. It's just one of those fixations I inextricably associate with the US - Jack O'Lanterns, The Great Pumpkin, pumpkin pie, etc, etc.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

:) I know, but that was something I'd meant to put in the post anyway, and may have been more information-containing than IT'S A THING, OKAY?!

[ignazwisdom.livejournal.com]

How did the bread turn out?

butternut squash bisque

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice. That looks similar to a recipe I have for potato-leek soup. Using milk instead of heavy cream will probably work just as well.

The bread came out moist and delicious! Well, what I can taste of it, anyway. The recipe's suggestion to wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight before eating was exactly right - it's denser, and the crispy edges decrisped and went sticky.

[thirdblindmouse.livejournal.com]

Yay, autumn! I love butternut squash with butter and nutmeg, but for some reason (def TMI) the texture of squash soup never appealed to me. As for pumpkin pie *looks around guiltily* I use the recipe on the back of the canned pumpkin. OTOH, I had apple pancakes made with fresh-picked apples this morning. :) Is pumpkin bread like gingerbread? I imagine pumpkingingerbread would be delicious.

Mmm, blue food... OMG, that reminds me it's the end of plum season! There is work to be done! *rushes off*

[catilinarian.livejournal.com]

LOVE the photos - I miss proper autumn. How did the pumpkin bread turn out?