Pumpkins – Harvest Time

I woke up this morning to cool fall weather.  Not yet a crispness in the air, but it was beautiful with cool breeze.  So I put my coffee in a to go cup and headed out to the farmers’ markets.  I have a couple out in eastern Hillsborough County, Florida that are only about 45 minutes from home.  They actually butt right up to the farms that supply their produce.  But today, I headed down to Hunsader Farms in Manatee county.  It is about an hour away, but it is worth the trip.

Being the first weekend of October they  were loaded down with pumpkins and gourds.  I love the colors of the fall harvest, with their oranges, browns and dark greens. And seeing the bundles of Indian Corn brought back all kinds of memories.  We always had a bundle of it hanging on the front door and sometimes on the counter would be a bundle in a bowl of gourds.  My grandpa Cecil always grew  Fall gourds in his garden, and climbing up the fences around the garden and the bigger ones he would always dry and hollow out to make into bird houses .

Well, as you can see from these pictures I hit the mother load with all these fall favorites.  Of course you know I brought back a big ole bag full of goodies for my kitchen counters.

Growing up I remember mom always making pumpkin bread with the pumpkins we’d either get from grandpa Cecil or area farms or our own garden if we grew them that year.  It was always fun to sit and hollow out the meat from pumpkins for mom to cook down to make pumpkin bread and pumpkin pies.  Mom and Grandma Jean made the best pumpkin pies.  There always seemed to be a pumpkin pie on the kitchen counter or in the fridge during the months leading up to Thanksgiving.

Yes, we are heading into the Holiday season.  This is absolutely my favorite time of the year.  Unfortunately for some reason it seems like the time of the year that goes by the fastest.  Before I turn around its going to be Christmas and the whole season will be over.  Oh well, for now I am going to just enjoy the Fall season, and I hope you all do too.    Maybe some of these recipes will help you do just that.  Now get out there to the farmers’ markets and enjoy the bounty that mother nature is providing us this fall.