After Visiting A Guilford Pumpkin Patch, How About A Pumpkin Pie?

GUILFORD, CT —Remember when we all started baking at the height of the pandemic? For many, it was a comfort. Now that summer's a memory and autumn is here, we're looking forward to the holidays and, more baking. One sure winner is a good old-fashioned pumpkin pie, perfect for fall and with Thanksgiving coming soon, then too. And a perfect time to visit pumpkin patches in Guilford to make your from-scratch pumpkin pie.

Sure, canned pumpkin will do the trick. It’s healthy and packed with nutrients, and some top cooking websites say it stacks up well against the homemade pumpkin purée and saves busy cooks a ton of time.

But there’s something soothing, meditative and cathartic about digging into the pumpkin with your hands and scooping out the stringy innards and seeds. The coronavirus culinary revolution reflects our collective hunger to take control of at least one thing in our upended lives. #StressBaking isn’t just a social media hashtag.

Just dress for the occasion, and wear gloves if the sliminess is too much for you.

The first thing you need to do is head to one of the pumpkin patches around Guilford. Here are some of them:

• Bishop's Orchards - The Little Red Barn and Pumpkin Patch in Guilford is open now through Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Admission is free. Fall Family Fun is here at the Bishop’s Orchards Little Red Barn, so come to our Pumpkin Patch. Inside the Little Red Barn you will find fall seasonal decorations as well as perishable items. Due to COVID-19, our Fall into Fun Kid’s Activities are limited to just the Apple Train. Cost is $2/person (tax included) and the train runs on weekends and holidays only. 1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford. 203-453-3328.
• Rose Orchards in North Branford. The pumpkin patch is open every day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. though the end of October. The farm has pick-your-own apples, the pumpkin patch, straw or hay bale maze, tractor-pulled hay rides, wagon rides, prepicked produce, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, and farm animals. 33 Route 139, 33 Branford Rd North Branford, CT 06471. Phone: 203-488-7996.

Now about that pumpkin pie

Southern Living says small, round sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie or sweet pumpkins, are the best pumpkins for baking. The stem should be brown, but still firmly attached, and check for blemishes and bruising. And don’t get hung up on the color. As a pumpkin matures, its flesh dulls.
JoyFoodSunshine was our first stop on the spin around the internet in search of classic homemade pumpkin pie recipes. It requires an investment in time — a little over two hours — but blogger Laura says on her website the 10-ingredient recipe “is the only pumpkin pie recipe you’ll ever need” and that “literally everyone” who tries it falls in love with it.

“It’s a beautiful blend of creamy, spicy sweet flavors that encompass all that is wonderful about fall,” Laura says.

Everything about this pie is made from scratch, from the crust to the dollop of homemade whipped cream added after it’s been plated. Laura tells you everything you need to know, from the tools you’ll need to how to know when the pie is done.

Sheri B., whose from-scratch pumpkin pie recipe is featured on Food.com, says the roasted pumpkin can be puréed using a sieve, food mill, blender or food processor, but she likes to create the filling with a hand potato masher.

For some cooks, secret pumpkin pie ingredients make for an unforgettable dessert. New York City-based food and wine writer Mandy Naglich’s recipe on Taste Of Home calls for cracked black pepper.

“The best way to preserve the spiciness of pumpkin spice is with freshly cracked black pepper,” Naglich writes. “It adds a robust bite to the traditional spice mix, which comes across subtly in each mouthful of pumpkin pie.”

The pepper won’t make the pie “spicy,” but guests may ask where you got the super-fresh spices, she says.

“Food Hussy” Heather Johnson touts the secret ingredient in her mom’s pumpkin pie recipe. For years, Johnson’s mother refused to share the recipe, but eventually gave it up to her blogger daughter: It’s Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.

After you’ve gone to all the trouble of baking from-scratch pumpkin pie, you may decide using a can of pumpkin pie filling is easier. But it’s a coronavirus quarantine memory, and hopefully a pleasant one, that you’ll always have.