October Round-up

Lots of peppers for October.

Tons of tomatoes for October!

Anne got glasses.

Anthony worked on digging out pumpkin innards.

Kids watched Daddy carve pumpkins from our garden.

The kids drew faces on all the little gourds.

They were from our garden as well.

Catherine snacked on roasted pumpkin seeds.

The kids designed their own pumpkins, from left: Catherine, Dominic, Anne, Joseph, and Anthony.

Lit and ready for action.

Black cat, outlaw, witch, skeleton, and Batman.

It was a cold night!

Ready to go get some goodies.

Trick or treat!

Batman got tired, so he and I hung out in the car until the rest of the kids were done.

Look at all that loot!

Pumpkin Carving 2013

A few days before Halloween, we carved pumpkins.  Despite all the rain we had this summer, we were able to harvest quite a few pumpkins from our garden before they rotted, and some of them lasted long enough to carve. 

First, the kids each picked out a pumpkin.

Then they each drew a picture of what they wanted their jack-o-lantern to look like.

Carving time!

The kids loved to watch their pumpkins being carved.

Joseph dug out the goo and seeds.

Anthony had to go shirtless to work on his!

The final result!

Each creator under his or her jack-o-lantern.

Scary!

Thanksgiving 2012

We found out on the day before Thanksgiving that our little Benedict Joseph had died in utero, so we had kind of a quiet Thanksgiving at home.  Well, not really quiet, with 5 little squirts running around, all excited.  Subdued might be a better word, at least on my part.

One turkey was already in the oven, but this turkey was slated for a different fate.

Dan lowered the turkey into the fryer.

The captive audience.

How long is that turkey going to take?

A little baseball action while the turkey fried.

All done!

Much to be thankful for.

Mommy and the kids.

Pumpkin pie made from a pumpkin out of our garden!

Yummy!

Enjoying the pumpkin pie.

Carving Our Pumpkins

One night in late October, the kids all went downstairs to where our pumpkin crop was being stored (what was left after we baked, pureed, and froze a bunch of them!), and picked out their pumpkin for Daddy to carve.

Anthony's got his!

Anne helped get out the pumpkin guts!

Each kid, for the most part, drew a picture and then Daddy carved that on their pumpkin.  They loved it!

Here is Dan's masterpiece for Halloween 2012!

One pumpkin for each person.  I think Anthony's (the one on legs towards the left) was the creepiest.

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

The first year we had a garden here we had pumpkins, but for the last two years, the crops were destroyed by bugs.  So this year, after the potato crop failed, Dan planted pumpkins in their place.  Well, lo and behold, we got pumpkins.  Luckily, they were established ahead of the bugs, but they were ready to harvest early.  As in, Dan picked them on July 30th!

The main crop was on the other side of this fence.  The strong south wind blew some vines through the fence and we actually had pumpkins hanging from vines and not even touching the ground, as you can see here.

A wagon load of pumpkins.

Dominic, Catherine, and Anne washed all the pumpkins.

Our crop of 21 pumpkins drying on the driveway!

Then the pumpkins came inside to the kitchen/dining room to cure for a few days.  So we ate surrounded by pumpkins and posed with them.

Miraculously, none of them were smashed or knocked onto the floor.

One day, a pumpkin got placed on the cutting board,...

...sliced in half,...

...and the seeds were scooped out.

Dan cut thin slices.

One pan was savory, and he put the pan right on the grill.

Yum!

The other pan was sweet, with butter and brown sugar, and we started them in the microwave on the convection oven setting.  They seemed to be taking too long, so Dan finished them on the grill.

Then everyone dug in.  Some of the kids liked them a little, some a lot.  I thought both kinds were tasty.

I guess you had to be half on the table to properly appreciate the roasted pumpkin!

All the rest of the pumpkins are now in a corner of the basement where it is cooler, none of them touching each other.  We are attempting to keep many of them until October so we can use them for Fall/Halloween decorations.  Some we'll bake and puree when the weather gets cooler.