The Pumpkin Patch

We recently took a trip to the pumpkin patch as a family of three. Our little guy was fascinated by all the pumpkins and squashes, and so was I! I've never seen most of these varieties and colors before. The pale, cantaloupe-colored ones above were a favorite, a nice change from the sometimes almost-too-gaudy bright orange pumpkins.

I think these might be Jarrahdales (correct me if I'm wrong, please!). They were a grayish blue-green, sort of the color of certain aged cheese rinds I've seen. Definitely appropriate for Halloween, as they appear to be decaying a bit, don't you think? Pretty eerie.

I have no idea which variety this is, but I was amazed by their combination of pastel orange and green tones. They look like they've been dip-dyed or painted. They were so pretty against the pale straw underneath, and reminded me of an Impressionist painting.

Which pumpkins are you using in your decor this year? Are you using any unusual varieties?

Knit Pumpkins - Easy Fall Decor

I made these a year or two ago, using a pattern from Meylah that now seems to have disappeared (don't you hate when that happens?). It originally called for adding "ridges" in the form of dark thread looped around the outside then through the middle and pulled tight at regular intervals with a tapestry needle.

For some reason, it's hard to find the right kind of tapestry needles around here! The only ones available were either nice and sharp but too short to feed through the middle, or very long but not sharp enough to go through the filling in the middle. So I skipped this part.

I also did my stem a bit differently. The original had an attached i-cord. I just cut a bunch of yarn to the same length, then tied a knot near one end of them. Then I glued them in place (note to self: be a tad bit neater about the glue next time, but you can't really notice it unless you look closely).

For all three, I used different stitch and row counts to vary the finished size. I also used different weights of yarn. The one in the front is super bulky, and the two in back were mostly worsted weight but varied in thickness. Some stretches of the yarn were thinner, some thicker. I dyed the one on the left with onion skins to get that golden brown color. Originally, it was the same color as the right one.

I'll see if I can dig up the original pattern, but here's a similar one in the meantime.

Knit Pumpkins for October, Halloween, and Thanksgiving

When you live in a small city apartment with not enough closets for storage, you need versatile seasonal decor. I made these easy knitted pumpkins because I knew I could use them for both Halloween *and* Thanksgiving! That's also why I used brown and yellow-brown yarns. I thought orange might be too Halloween-y, while browns could work for both October and November.

I loosely followed the directions for these knitted pumpkins. Scroll down and read the comments before you knit - helpful amendments have been added there! I made the two bottom pumpkins shown here using those directions, but varied my needle and yarn sizes. The larger pumpkin was made on larger needles, and I did 55 stitches across and I think about 30 rows.

I didn't have the right tools for the stems shown in the tutorial, so I cut about 6 - 10 pieces of yarn (depending on my pumpkin size) all the same length. Then I knotted them at the bottom to form a sort of tassel, trimmed the yarn beneath the knot, and then glued the "stem" onto the pumpkins with tacky glue. 

I'm debating whether or not to add veins like the original tutorial does. I think I like them as is so far!

Happy Halloween

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Halloween - I hope you have fun plans for the night, and great costumes to wear! Oh, and your favorite candy to eat. Can't forget that part!

I couldn't resist posting these photos of faux carved pumpkins on Beacon Hill in Boston to my Flickr, in honor of the holiday. You never have to worry about these pumpkins rotting - or getting smashed!

Fall Decor, Projects, and Food

Minus the little blip of the 82 degree day we had yesterday (let's not talk about, that's how much I dislike hot weather!), it's definitely full-on fall in Boston. I'm loving the cool days and crisp nights. I've already pulled out my fall leaf banners and lantern pumpkins from last year, but I'll definitely have to add a print of this Kerria japonica illustration to my decor. I love how it has bright autumn yellows in it, but is versatile enough to be left up all year if wish.

How goes does this Hungarian apple cake by "From My Mother's Kitchen" look? In case you were wondering, yes, the entire middle is a big fat layer of baked apples. I don't think I'd be able to wait until dessert for this - I'd make it a weekend brunch treat. It'd be perfect alongside a steaming mug of cider or pumpkin spice coffee.

This paper strip pumpkin project by MerMag Blog is so different than most fall crafts projects I've seen. It's also simple yet modern, and you could use the basic paper strip idea to make wreaths for Christmas, eggs for Easter, shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, and so on. 

I want to make this crispy kale autumn salad from Half-Baked Harvest asap. Butternut squash, pecans, kale, and grilled cheese croutons. What more could you ask for? You could also sub regular croutons for the grilled cheese ones and add in chicken or pork for extra protein. I'm sure it'd be delicious either way!

What are you making and baking this fall?

Unofficially Fall

It's finally starting to feel like fall around here, and the chill in the air has me practically skipping around! I love crisp, colorful autumn days and cold nights and I can't wait to start baking everything and anything featuring pumpkin and apples.

Here's a photo I took of a festive pumpkin patch in an apple orchard to help celebrate the arrival of a new season. Cheers!

Curly Purly Pumpkin Pattern

How cute is this knit pumpkin from Curly Purly? It's perfect for Halloween, and seems to knit up very quickly. All you need are double pointed needles, yarn, and something to stuff in the middle!

Get the free pattern and spin-off ideas from Curly Purly here.

Roasted Sugar Pumpkin and Apple Soup

I made this soup earlier this week with sugar pumpkins from a farmers' market. The recipe is simple and can be easily tailored to your own flavor preferences!

2 small sugar pumpkins (about 2 lbs. each), stems removed, cut in half, and pulp removed
1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 clove of fresh garlic
1 medium apple (I used a Macoun, you could use a Granny Smith if you want more of a tart flavor), cored and diced
6 c. low-sodium chicken stock
few dashes of nutmeg
few dashes of ginger
salt and pepper to taste
plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Toss the pumpkin halves with the olive oil and place the pumpkin halves in a pan (you may need two, depending on their size). I like to place them cut side down. Roast until they can be easily pierced with a knife (about 45 mins). Remove them from the oven, turn the oven off, and let them cool.

2. While the pumpkins are cooling, heat the 2 Tbsp. oil in a large pot. Add the onions, and saute them until they are translucent.

3. While the onions are cooking, if the pumpkins are cool enough, remove their skins and dice them.

4. Add the diced pumpkin, garlic, and apple to the pot. Add in the spices. You may use cinnamon in addition to (or instead of) the nutmeg and ginger if you would like. Allspice, mace, cloves, or curry powder would also be great additions!

5. Pour in the chicken stock, and bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Once it's boiling, turn down the heat. Let the soup simmer for 45 mins. to an hour to let the flavors meld together.

7. Remove the pan from the heat, and use an immersion blender to turn the chunky mixture into a lovely, velvety one! Your pot should be less than halfway full, so that you don't splash yourself with the very hot soup. If your pot is not big enough, pour the soup into a larger vessel. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a masher instead. You can also use a blender, but you will have to do it in batches. Do not fill your blender more than halfway! Hot liquids will expand too much, and the top will fly off. You don't want to get burned!

8. Put the blended soup back on the stove, and bring it back up to temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9. Ladle into bowls. For a fancier presentation, swirl in a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream. Serve and enjoy!

Autumn Depicted By Winslow Homer

How perfectly-autumnal is this painting, For to Be a Farmer's Boy, by Winslow Homer? It's just so appropriate for a peak-foliage, crisp October day like this one!

Scenes of Autumn

Autumn sights from The Boston Globe's Big Picture. From top to bottom: the Giant Pumpkin Contest at the Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts, cranberries being harvested in Wisconsin, and a Kashmiri nomad boy carrying a lamb on his back in Srinagar.

For more photos from the set, click here!