It’s nearly pumpkin time of year

A couple weeks ago, our new staff reporter Lauren and I made a quick trip over to a home in Waco to put together a story about a pumpkin patch.

It struck me funny. Here we were, getting ready for the annual Watermelon Festival, Franklin County’s yearly homage to the juicy red fruit of which we are the capital of Alabama, and yet Ms. Chris Landers has an entirely different fruit in mind – one that seems to clash hopelessly in its juxtaposition against hot mid-August days.

I don’t know about you, but pumpkins put me in the mind of crisp mornings, crimson and gold leaves swirling through the brisk breeze and chilly nights made warmer by big pots of chili, soft warm scarves and crackling fires. Pumpkins in August just seem wrong.

Of course, since then I’ve done a little Googling and found it’s actually just the right time of year for pumpkins to be growing and nearing harvest-time.

Who knew?

Probably everyone except me.

Just seeing those big round pumpkins nestled among the green leafy vines set my mouth to watering. I’m in the “pumpkin everything” camp. Maybe you are too. Pumpkin candles, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin soup, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cream cheese roll, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread – the latter of which I had to bake this weekend after seeing Ms. Landers’ homegrown patch. It was sweetened with honey and brown sugar and came out dense and moist and – if I do say so myself – delicious. Does it matter if I made it with canned pumpkin, not fresh? It is what it is.

At any rate, our little venture to Waco really got me in the pumpkin state of mind. If you love pumpkin too, I’d love to hear your favorite thing to do with it. After all, it’s not just the pumpkin meat you can manipulate to bake tasty treats. Maybe you roast the seeds. Maybe you are an expert jack-o’-lantern carver. Let me know what pumpkin season means to you.

I’m so glad it’s nearly pumpkin time of year.