Old Fall traditions: Visiting the Pumpkin Farm

 OLD Fall Traditions: Trip to the Pumpkin Farm

You've heard me complain this year about having small pumpkins and

 one in a tree from our garden that is still hanging there.

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 The tree pumpkin is just beginning to blush a bit.

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 But this one is as GREEN as it can be.

So we were Off to a Pumpkin Farm,

 Didier Farms in Lincolnshire, Illinois--just two suburbs away. 

Unlike many farms in the Chicagoland area, Didiers doesn't charge for the experience

 of walking a pumpkin farm and they also don't price gouge.

 They do sell tickets for some rides, games, and experiences, which you don't have to do.

We paid about the same for our pumpkins at the grocery store or even Walmart.

It's -little kid- friendly, charming, family run and also has plenty of things to do for all ages. 

We went Friday on a weekday and took the Grandbaby (our first and only right now)with, 

she is almost three now.

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First order of business was to find the right wagon. Walking backwards pulling a wagon was a new experience for her and she was very careful...it was a very long walk, backwards though. 

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I loved all the wagons stacked up on end. Really brought back memories of our childhoods.

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 Outside the first Farm building were these great drying racks full of corn. I've given up on hanging corn outside...our squirrels are too acrobatic and they will climb up the screen door to get at corn.

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1. Didier's also has a garden center during the year, their Kale and Mum display was gorgeous.

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Cute cutouts for photo opportunities are sprinkled around the grounds. 

The witch house was adorable and perfect kid size. Now to search for a pumpkin.

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 I don't know how many acres the farm is...but searching is not an issue. MORE than enough pumpkins for everyone in Illinois it seems. Of course we have one rule----you can only pick a pumpkin you can lift.

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Grandbaby got very exceited with these monsters...and had to test her ability to maneuver a HUGE pumpkin...which she did manage to roll toward the wagon. I think it weighed twice her weight. LOL.

She gave up and pulled her empty wagon down the lane.

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 Granny (that's me) was enthralled with the bumpy pumpkins, 

but I had picked one up the day before.

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 As we walked down the lane we got to more manageable sized pumpkins.

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I just loved all the shades of orange.

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 One warty gourd and two pumpkins later, the wagon began to get very heavy.

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 Taking a break for a photo op, of course she had to drive Grampa in the tractor.

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Pony rides were out...as 

"They smell nasty Grandma."They really didn't smell bad, just farm-fresh, lol.

 We all took refuge in the Indian Village, in full size Teepees.

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These lodge poles were tied simply with rope. Very historically accurate and very sturdy in the blustery winds we had that day.

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"Grampa, this one, this one!"

"One more pumpkin Grandma, I can get this one!"

 She did have a little help---but wrestled this to the wagon.

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Such a serious endeavor getting the big pumpkin in the wagon, with Grampa's help.

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Everything had to be arranged just so.

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She even walked forward having mastered pulling the wagon.

After paying and having applecider donuts and milk, it was time to take our booty home.

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Nice Pumpkin...pat, pat....

Being Grandparents is just too much darn FUN!

And Always, Thanks for stopping by, 

Linking at these great parties:

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  Sandi

Coffee and Calico: Setting a Table with Antiques and Vintage

What could be more inviting then NEW scents of Pumpkin Spice Apple Muffins greeting guests

 as they make their way up your walk for a morning Coffee Klatch?

A week ago, it was still late summer in Chicagoland, with only the hints of Fall.
Spindly petunias struggled to bloom in the heat,
while the marigolds blended nicely with Fall mums.

 

A (GREEN) garden pumpkin and a rusty mum were added to our summer planters, 

a great REDO.

Our decorative grass was the most gorgeous shade of mahogany brown.

 But, it was the scents of pumpkin, apples, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cardamom 

coming from the kitchen that greeted my guests.

 

An OLD antique saucer (very early McCoy?) filled with fresh and faux produce 

flanked the centerpiece of an arrangement now dried of Hosta leaves, 

Sedum, Marigolds, Zinnias, and grasses from an earlier post. 

Dried gourds, fresh gourds, and faux pumpkins surrounded the blue square glass canning jar vase. 

 I bought one of those NEW gridded arrangement tops

 that screw on--great for arranging.

The OLD kitchen/dining table was my husband's great-grandmother's 

1890's oak table with five leaves. IT IS HUGE! 

The rusty red hopsacking tablecloth was a find in the original packaging 

at a garage sale for $2 and is 90" round, I call this a REDO.

We have added two oak reproduction chairs on each end. It's great for conversations or 

a 'kaffeeklatsch', German for 'coffee noise'.

 

Inexpensive natural bamboo placemats are perfect for a Fall backdrop. 

Faux leaves are placed under the cups, the dried gourds, and around the silverware. 

The luncheon plates are part of my everyday collection of anything earthenware in blue and white. 

The luncheon plates are 'Calico' pattern made in Staffordshire England, 

and some also marked 'QUEENS' made in Malaysia.

 I've pick them up at TJMax and Homegoods. 

The cups are marked 'CHURCHILL' also made in Malaysia, marked est 1795 

which was the same thing on the Queen's plates.

 NEW nearly matching napkins (IKEA) finished off each placesetting.

 I used my grandmother's OLD Royal Copenhagen Blue Flowers coffeepot, 

creamer, sugar bowl, and leaf plate to serve. 

We've inherited a service for ten for dinner and many more for a formal coffee service. 

I'm such a klutz though, I only use the cups

 when I have help to hand-wash, as they are see-through thin.

 

I have the kitchen blinds partially closed because the sun was so bright 

from our huge South and East windows

 the photos were nothing but glare.

 

 My 'Happy Fall' banner was a bargain at Walmart for 99 cents, very early in the season. 

It's simple design was the perfect low-key colors for the kitchen with all the blues. 

Grandparents sign is a craft show piece, 

I'm sorry I don't have the name of the crafter.

 

 My white shelf is topped with more bamboo placemats, my granny's enamelware coffeepot filled with my only burlap-anything-anywhere (burlap sunflowers-because they didn't smell from the Dollar Store), while Xmas Pig has her own trough of corn and real acorns.

 

Granny's stoneware mixing bowl was filled with real and faux fruit with 

dark rattan balls found in their original packaging at GoodWill, a great REDO.

 My grandmother's OLD Monk cookie jar looks on...dressed in his golden robes for Fall.

My husband's great-grandmother's OLD wool carders finish off the counter, 

while my mom's OLD porcelain rabbit vase holds a dried gourd.

 

You can almost hear Xmas Pig snorting over her corn and acorns in her own trough.

Extra muffins were served in an OLD Swedish blue glass compote.

The everyday silverware was tied up with string and a faux leaf.

The Pumpkin Spice Apple Muffins 

were delish as was the conversation...that I will never repeat, LOL.

Recipe Here: Pumpkin Spice Apple Muffins 

from a previous post.

Thanks for coming for a coffee klatch.

Sharing at these fine blog parties:
Vintage Inspiration Party
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Farmhouse Crafts and Decor

Sandi

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own,

 I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts.

 Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

 Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sojourn to Northern Wisconsin

Going back home is always nostalgic. 

You don't go back just physically, but the trip becomes a step-back through memories. 

My husband's family settled in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin back in the 1850's 

when the land was covered with hardwood forest, 

and farming meant clearing the land, building a cabin, and then farm for a living.

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 Early Saturday morning..I tried to catch the sunrise over Lake Michigan out the door. 

Imagine, the soft sounds of the gentle waves lapping at the beach.

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The beach is groomed each morning, I'm sure the gulls watch in amusement.

 Far in the distance is the Algoma lighthouse which must have 

received a new coat of red paint this year.

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This shot is a mile and a quarter away South of the lighthouse.

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Walking along the beach, you never know what you will find. 

 Here are Lichens and Moss---at least six different types.

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Further South, I looked back.

 It was a warm day, a brisk wind and steady waves rolling in.

 The stones are all smooth from being tossed by the waves and easy to walk on.

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The path began to narrow, and the ledges of sand were a bit unsafe. I went as far as I could.

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Looking back, I wasn't the only one on the beach.

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The  soft tones of an almost lavender blue sky, the blue greens of the lake, growing into turquoise then to a mossy green, waves rolling onto the sand and rocks. 

The subtlety took my breath away.

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Some refuse strewn the shore, from branches and rocks,
but mostly natural items. I saw very little evidence of man. 

Lake Michigan has improved in water quality and from no dumping policies.

I never even found a piece of beach glass. 

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A small cedar tree struggles to maintain a foothold along the path. 

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 The tiniest ladybug was content to sun herself on a leaf.

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A rusty maple leaf, from where I don't know, lay on the beach.

Its sharp points a contrast among all the rounded stones. 

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The small pink tab was the only evidence of man I saw on this entire stretch of beach in three days.  

I did see several Monarch Butterflies resting on the rocks, some at the end of their short lives. 

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 The constant roll of the waves, reminds you of your own mortality, as they will keep coming in...generation after generation, long after you are gone.

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 Algoma in the distance; the entire town stretching to the photographic red lighthouse.

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Sunrise our last morning.  

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My husband standing where seven generations of his family have lived, 

and probably where they watched many sunrises on

beautiful Lake Michigan.

A month ago, the sixth and seventh generations, our son and his daughter

 played in the water on this very beach. 

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Generations and generations of waves.

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Algoma, Wisconsin September 2015

thanks for visiting with me, 

and Linking with these great blogs:

Tuesdays at our Home 

Inspiration Tuesday

What's It Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday 

Share Your Cup Thursday

Share Your Style 

Best of the Weekend 

Sandi

Pumpkin Spice and Apple Muffins Redo

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Fall Pumpkin Spice Apple Muffins  

 

Every year I repost this recipe because it is just that good, the scents in the kitchen just send you into Fall Heaven and....

It's that time of year again. Time to sit down, pour a cup, and have a tasty muffin made with fresh seasonal ingredients and whole wheat/grains. 

This is a recipe I have adapted for the way I cook, homemade, healthy and as farm-to-table as possible. 

Though, it all begins last fall with the GREEN homegrown and sometimes farm bought fresh pumpkins and squash we roasted in the oven and froze in bags, for use all season long. (Canned pumpkin can be used)

DIY Fresh squash/pumpkin is high in fiber, low in calories, and high in flavor. For roasting, slice your pumpkins in large chunks, pile skin side-up in roasting pans, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water in bottom of pan, cover with foil or lid, and roast 1-2 at 350  degrees, until fork easily inserts and all the 'meat' is the same color or cooked through. 

You can chop in a blender or chopper at this point or just measure scraped pumpkin flesh into bags, mark and freeze. Use for soups, breads, cakes, brownies, muffins, throughout the year. 

With fresh apples in season also, I opened a defrosted bag of pumpkin and drained the excess water off. This leaves the best part...which I chopped up in the food chopper until smooth. 

Assemble your dry ingredients. I chose Crisco for this recipe instead of butter, though there are saturated fats, it has no cholesterol.  I'm having dairy sensitivities, right now so am not using butter.  But this recipe works well with butter or any oil for that matter, as it is measured after melting. I use use flours from Hodgson Mills.

Lots of spices, flours, and oatmeal measured into first bowl.

 I made a double batch which still worked perfectly.

 

Bowl #2 holds the eggs, pumpkin, chopped apples, and vanilla. Mix well.

Fold the wet ingredients of the two bowls together. 

Do not beat, this is a quick bread, so just combine. Add applesauce if extra moisture is needed.

 

You get 12-18 muffins depending on your pan size. I also baked two round coffee cakes from this double-batch, which I froze. This recipe freezes well.

 Here they are before puffed up in baking. The coffeecakes took about 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees.

 

Here is the fresh muffin, still warm on the plate.

 The texture is excellent with big chunks of fresh apple and raisins in this batch. 

You can't tell this is made with whole wheat flour and rolled oats, it is so tender.

Fall Pumpkin Spice Apple Muffins  makes 12-18 muffins (single batch)

1st bowl

1 cup of unbleached flour (I use Hodgson Mills or Cerasota)

1 cup of whole wheat flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour (Hodgson Mills) as it is ground finer than whole wheat but with the same benefits. Makes great pancakes, too.)

1 cup of long-cooking rolled oats (trusty old Quaker Oats)

1 1/2tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp  ground allspice

1/2 tsp cardamom (this is the secret to this recipe)

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2nd bowl

3/4 cup of melted stick margarine, butter, or crisco cooled.

1 cup of packed brown sugar (light or dark)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup of roasted fresh pumpkin drained and blended smooth or canned

1 apple-cored and loosely chopped

(up to 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce if needed)
 

heat oven to 375 F. Line or butter/flour 12-18 muffin tins holes.

In large bowl whisk together flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cardamom, clove, salt, raisins or cranberries, and nuts. (I add everything together---dusts your nuts and fruit at the same time.)

 

In second bowl whisk together cooled melted shortening/butter/oil, brown sugar  and vanilla, whisk in eggs until frothy and blended, then stir in pumpkin and apples. 

Gently, but thoroughly mix this into the dry bowl ingredients,  folding until well incorporated. 
Do not over-mix. If batter is too thick, add up to 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce. (Dense (whole wheat or multi grain) flours are subject to dryness which can effect the moisture content of your recipes as can weather, so applesauce is the perfect consistency to add.)

 

Fill muffin cups to desired fullness, bake at 375F for 25-30 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the tops are a bit crusty. These are very moist muffins.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then finish cooling on rack.

These are tasty, moist, and freeze well. 

The original recipe called for a crumble on top, or I have lightly frosted with cream cheese frosting or a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, but plain is excellent. 

ENJOY! and thanks for stopping by,

Linking to these wonderful blogs: 

Metamorphosis Monday
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You're the Star

#78 Pumpkin Recipes

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Sandi

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle