Autumn
The leaves are not turning color yet, but... It isn't the date on the calendar that designates autumn. The fall of the year is a smell, a certain feel in the air, a little bit of je ne sais quoi something (that appealing quality) that can't be described.
I enjoy all the seasons, but winter has become difficult for me to maneuver in, spring is unpredictable, summer is fine until hot weather makes me feel like a fish out of water. Fall can be somewhat unpredictable as well, but it normally has warm sunshiny days and cool nights. It's a time of harvest of garden or field crops. A feeling of abundance; a feeling of being showered by abundance from God. At least during a good year.
This time of the year has my two favorite holidays—Thanksgiving and Christmas. My Grandma made the best pumpkin pie, and I would help her. I like spicy pumpkin pie, so when she would go from the kitchen to the dining room for something I'd often sneak a bit more cinnamon, or pie spice of some sort into the mix.
Many people don't know that when you buy a can of pumpkin for pies that pumpkin is probably butternut squash, or acorn, or somesuch squash, not pumpkin per se. I had one woman tell me years ago, 'my mother-in-law told me I would never know if it was a squash pie or a pumpkin pie, but I told her she couldn't fool me...'.
How funny of her, and I didn't enlighten her, but if she'd eaten pumpkin pie from a bought can of pumpkin, she had more than likely had squash pie.
Home made pumpkin from homegrown squash or pumpkin is so much better than the commercially canned pumpkin. Our neighbor actually follows the recipe directions.
Those directions tell a person to 'peel the rind off of the pumpkin'. He says it gives a better flavor. That may be. I did do that once, but when we prepare baked acorn squash or baked butternut squash I cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds turn it upside down on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately thirty minutes.
If/when I can poke a sharp knife through the thickest part of the squash easily it is time to pull it out of the oven, flip the squash over and scoop the meat out. If I'm just putting it on the table for a meal, I scoop it into a serving bowl I add several chunks of butter and serve it. I might add some sausage and brown sugar as well.
If I'm going to use it for pie I run it through a food mill then mix in my spices, sugar, eggs etc.
Some pumpkins are pie pumpkins, and some are carving varieties. The ones used for carving pumpkins aren't usually as sweet and dry and don't usually make the best pies.
There are several squash used for pies, acorn is one, I like butternut better than most acorns because it is usually a drier consistency and sweeter. Some others are Hubbard varieties, and as I branched out from the acorn and butternut, most of the old fashioned squash were very good as well.
This year we did get a few pumpkins planted and some butternut, so I'm hopeful to have pumpkins for my little people to put on their porches, and some pies for all of us to put in our mouths. Yum.
