The Jolly Fox
Find Food & Frolic.
CJ’s Pumpkin Ranch & Pumpkin Pie.
I’m breaking all kinds of MoFo promises! I didn’t get a chance to post over the weekend because I’ve been too busy pickin’ pears and celebrating birthdays and getting ready to go to Maui this week! Yes. Maui and I are getting together on Friday and hopefully having a nice, slow love affair together with lots of yummy tropical food, beer, beach, surfing, spa day, farm visits and more. I’m SO EXCITED. This is the first vacation I’ve taken in the past 100 years and it could not come soon enough. This entire year has been difficult and stressful in a rainbow of different fashions (thanks for mixing it up, universe) and I just want to turn it around before the end.
Thank goodness for farm trips because they have been helping me keep my sanity this year. I feel so at peace when out on a farm, surrounded by dirt, fruits, veggies, flowers and beauty in general. I could just stay there all day transfixed in admiration, awe and respect. I went pear pickin’ this past weekend, but before that, I went pumpkin pickin’. I found a sweet little farm in Corona that grows all kinds of amazing varieties of heirloom pumpkins for eating and carving. There was a variety that they told me was great for making pies called “Yellow of Paris”. I knew that was one of the pumpkins I needed to have and I spent the better part of our time there searching for the perfect “Yellow of Paris”.
I wanted every pumpkin I laid eyes on, but I settled on these:
The farm had also grown strawberry poppin’ corn, so of course I took home a bunch of that as well. It’s so cool–you can place the whole cob in a brown paper bag and pop in in the microwave or remove the kernels and make it on the stovetop or in a popcorn maker. Love.
One of the first things I did when I got home (after making Oktoberfest) was to bust open my “Yellow of Paris” and roast it in the oven. I scooped out the innards and blended it up. It was a bit watery so I had to drain it in a colander for a while. I then proceeded to enjoy the finest pumpkin smoothies. I saved just enough puree to make a pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin is the best!
This MoFo = crazy. I will hopefully find time today to write a couple of more posts and to catch up on some of my favorite blogs!
The Jolly Fox 
That pie and those pumpkins look crazy good. I thought by “pumpkin ranch” you meant you were making ranch dressing out of pumpkins which would be… Interesting.
Have a great trip to Maui!
Thank you! Pumpkin ranch dressing would be interesting, maybe I should give it a go! 🙂
Maui! I’m so jealous! We went to Kauai this past summer and I’m ready to pack my bags and move there…if it wasn’t for the whole, being Canadian thing.
I had no idea there were so many varieties of pumpkins, I usually just buy pumpkin puree, but that’s because I’m lazy 🙂 Beautiful pumpkin pie.
Kauai is soooo beautiful! Gah, I am so looking forward to Maui it’s ridiculous! I use canned pumpkin too–can’t imagine getting all of my puree from fresh pumpkins–I use so much of that dang stuff!
Hope you guys have a wonderful time in Maui. Wish I was going.
Those pumpkins look great! And what a gorgeous pumpkin pie.