Autumn Traditions

I am always sad when October comes to an end....it is by far my favorite month of the year.

The weather changes to colder, gardens fade and are put to bed, porch furniture is put away, the trees are ugly and bare.

There are things I feel I must do every October to take full advantage of all it's glory.

I must go to as many farm markets as possible to get fresh apples, butternut squash and gourds. This year my husband and I went on a tour of many different farm markets along the lakeshore, tasting apples and taking in the scenery. We even visited Chimney Bluffs on Lake Ontario.

I must get my pumpkin for a dollar on the flatbed truck a few miles away.

 

I must bake Pumpkin Cookies. My granddaughter Cassidy comes over and decorates them every year.....

 

 



 

And my son Michael eats them!

 

 

 

I must make homemade pumpkin bread, apple crisp and applesauce.

 

I must go to  Schutt's Apple Mill and farm market in Webster for the best cider and donuts around.

 

This year I added some new must's that I wanted to make sure I accomplished.

 

For the past 16 years I have wanted a row of different colored mums in my garden to remind me of my old farmhouse.

 

I did it this year!

 

 

 

I have always wanted to make a pumpkin pie out of a fresh pumpkin. I did it and you can see the tutorial for it here.

 

 





And finally, I have always wanted a scarecrow in my garden. Not those kitschy ones from the craft shows or the dollar store....a real respectable, looks like a homemade, scarecrow. I found one at a garage sale. Can't believe this woman was selling him but she was moving and couldn't take him along. He has a wool shirt, a silk tie, real jeans and a real straw hat. Just what I was looking for....now if I could only find the faux crow I had to put on his shoulder!

 

 

I haven't carved a pumpkin in years but my daughter and granddaughter have and they carved the ones at the beginning of this post. Can you tell what they are?

 

The first one is an owl and the second one is a hamster. My daughter is into owls right now and my granddaugter has a real hamster at home. Cute!

 

AnnMarie :)

 

 

 





 

FRESH Pumpkin Pie Recipe....and a few bonuses!

One of my favorite things to do in Autumn is to go to all the local farm markets in my area to see what they've got for Fall. I live in apple country so there is always an abundance of fresh, just picked from the orchard apples to munch on. I love the displays of mums and crates of pumpkins and gourds.

There is always a crate of pie pumpkins and seeing them always pricks at my bakers' heart to try and make a pie out of one......kinda going back to the country basics and using what is on the land as opposed to what is in the can.

 

The pie pumpkins are usually small and so perfect like this one! So, since I was at the farm market buying my sixth mum to plant (to fulfill something else I have been wanting to do which is to have a row of all different mums in my garden)  I went for it. I brought it home and went online for directions and a recipe. Following is my journey of a new baking adventure!

 

Here is the full recipe so that you know ahead what you need to start:

 

Fresh Pumpkin Pie (courtesy of allrecipes.com)

 

1 medium pie pumpkin

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 recipe pastry for 9 inch single crust pie

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup honey, warmed slightly

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

 

 

 

The first thing you have to do is cut into this perfect little pumpkin and bake it just like any other squash. Cut it in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. See that mushy pile of pulp and seeds? Do not throw it away! We will use them later.

 

Lightly oil the cut surface and place cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F until the flesh is tender when poked (up to an hour). Cool until warm. It comes out looking like this....

 

 

Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel and puree it in a food processor or mash it by hand. You will need 2 cups for the pie. 

 

To the pumpkin puree add the spices and salt. Beat in the eggs, honey, milk and cream. Pour the filling into an un-baked pie shell.

 

Bake at 400 degrees F for 50 - 55 minutes (it took mine 75 minutes!) or until knife inserted comes out clean.

 

 

 

 

The color and texture are totally different from a pie made from canned pumpkin. With a mound of whipped cream on top, my son and husband thought it was better tasting!

 

Bonus #1:

Now comes the fun part! Get that mushy pile of pumpkin pulp and seeds and start picking the seeds out and then rinse them till all the pulp is off.

 

 

 

Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread the seeds out. Sprinkle salt over all to your taste.

 

 

Roast in a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and you have a really good, crunchy snack!

 

 

Bonus #2:

 

I originally thought I would make two pumpkin pies but it turned out I didn't have enough ingredients. So....since I had another pie crust and apples in the fridge, I decided to make the only apple pie recipe I will ever use. The ingredients are all things you normally have on hand and that is one of the reasons I love it.

 

It is called Genesee Valley Apple Crumb Pie and is from the Junior League of Rochester's Applehood and Motherpie cookbook. It is SO good!

 





 

 

Happy baking!

 

........... and eating!

 

AnnMarie :)