I guess you could say we're actually speeding into winter, but summer was dreadfully hot and our Alaskan blood boiled, so the cooler temperatures these days make me happy. It's enjoyable to be out in the sun and having the leaves crunch under your feet. Fall is a short season in Alaska, blink and you'll miss it. But here we're enjoyed every minute of Autumn.
Pumpkin patches and apple orchards have given us fun activities well beyond the days we spent trekking through rows of trees or carting a collection of pumpkins. Alaska has neither pumpkin patches nor pick them yourself orchards, or any orchards to the best of my knowledge. So these were fun outings for the boys. I was amazed at how inexpensive it was to pick your own apples. At $1 per pound we were able to pick enough to make several batches of applesauce and apple butter. It's all the more satisfying when you did so much of the work yourself.
The kids opted not to carve their pumpkins this year and we spent an hour or so one afternoon painting them. Initially I was a tad disappointed. But I had an epiphany the day after Halloween! I've been known to let pumpkins sit out all winter so the moose can eat them. The fridged temps keep them from becoming a disgusting mess and the moose get a treat. Win win! But it's still warm here and no moose come to visit. But I found myself looking at the little row of intact pumpkins and I realized I could still use them. It's like the secret life of pumpkins, they had their dress up fun and then could still be practical. So we scooped them up washed of the paint and gutted them. The kids all did Linus impressions "You didn't tell me you were gonna kill it!" and we set to work. We carefully cleaned and dried all the seeds. (one of our favorite snacks) And then we once again busted out grandma's little pressure cooker from 1952. Unfortunately, half way through we managed to break the handle. However, my aunt was amazing and ran out and bought a BIG one with the promise I could play with it any time I wanted. Yay me!
We sliced them up and then found that the serrated peeler from Pampered Chef is AWESOME. I already liked it for things like kiwis or peaches, but boy did it make quick work of the thick skins on our pumpkins and we hardly lost any of the flesh. turkey keeps wandering through the kitchen pointing at the jars, "my pumpkin?!" There's a small competition to see whose pumpkin made the most jars. We now have enough jarred pumpkin to enjoy muffins, pancakes, cookies, pies and anything else we can dream of all winter long. I may never carve another pumpkin again.
Pumpkin patches and apple orchards have given us fun activities well beyond the days we spent trekking through rows of trees or carting a collection of pumpkins. Alaska has neither pumpkin patches nor pick them yourself orchards, or any orchards to the best of my knowledge. So these were fun outings for the boys. I was amazed at how inexpensive it was to pick your own apples. At $1 per pound we were able to pick enough to make several batches of applesauce and apple butter. It's all the more satisfying when you did so much of the work yourself.
The kids opted not to carve their pumpkins this year and we spent an hour or so one afternoon painting them. Initially I was a tad disappointed. But I had an epiphany the day after Halloween! I've been known to let pumpkins sit out all winter so the moose can eat them. The fridged temps keep them from becoming a disgusting mess and the moose get a treat. Win win! But it's still warm here and no moose come to visit. But I found myself looking at the little row of intact pumpkins and I realized I could still use them. It's like the secret life of pumpkins, they had their dress up fun and then could still be practical. So we scooped them up washed of the paint and gutted them. The kids all did Linus impressions "You didn't tell me you were gonna kill it!" and we set to work. We carefully cleaned and dried all the seeds. (one of our favorite snacks) And then we once again busted out grandma's little pressure cooker from 1952. Unfortunately, half way through we managed to break the handle. However, my aunt was amazing and ran out and bought a BIG one with the promise I could play with it any time I wanted. Yay me!
We sliced them up and then found that the serrated peeler from Pampered Chef is AWESOME. I already liked it for things like kiwis or peaches, but boy did it make quick work of the thick skins on our pumpkins and we hardly lost any of the flesh. turkey keeps wandering through the kitchen pointing at the jars, "my pumpkin?!" There's a small competition to see whose pumpkin made the most jars. We now have enough jarred pumpkin to enjoy muffins, pancakes, cookies, pies and anything else we can dream of all winter long. I may never carve another pumpkin again.
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