It’s Pumpkin Time

By Jasleen Singh
 

As the Thanksgiving holidays are rolling around, I can’t help but think about the delicious dessert that accompanies every Thanksgiving dinner: pumpkin pie. It is sweet, soft, and absolutely divine when paired with whipped cream. Who knew a pumpkin that can scare children at Halloween can also taste so good at Thanksgiving?

The main ingredient of the pie, pumpkin, is said to have originated in Mexico as far back as 7000 to 5500 BC. Native Americans ate pumpkin as part of their staple diet, dried strips of pumpkin to weave into mats, and even used the seeds as medicine. When colonists arrived in the 17th century, they adapted the pumpkin to their own palates through stews, soups and of course, desserts. Slicing off the pumpkin top, removing the seeds, adding milk, honey and spices, and baking it over a fire made the first American pumpkin pies.

The earliest published American recipe for pumpkin pie though came in 1796 with Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery, by an American Orphan Cookbook. It called for one quart of milk, one pint of “pompkin,” four eggs, molasses, allspice and ginger in a crust to be baked for one hour. Since then, landmark events have taken place with the pumpkin. The largest pumpkin weighed 1,140 pounds while the largest pumpkin pie measured over 12 feet in diameter and weighed about 2,020 pounds.

So with all this pumpkin talk, wouldn’t you like to have some for yourself? Fortunately, Santa Clarita sports several pumpkin patches this time of year.

Lombardi Ranch
29527 Bouquet Canyon Road, Saugus,
Open from mid-August to mid-November. Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday and holidays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 661-296-8697 or e-mail joann@c-s.net.

Nancy’s Ranch
25039 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia,
Open from October to December. Weekdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call 661-255-6943 or e-mail NancyRanch@aol.com.

Frosty’s Forest
25235 Orchard Village Road,
Valencia.  Call 661-259-6450.

Rotary Club of Santa Paula Pumpkin Patch at Faulkner Farm
14292 W. Telegraph, Santa Paula, 93060
Call 888-522-1884.      
A Ventura County tradition continues with the Santa Paula Rotary Pumpkin Patch and Harvest Festival at Faulkner Farm. Building memories and providing unforgettable old-fashioned family fun has been a long standing tradition.

Fillmore and Western Railway Co. PumpkinLiner
351 Santa Clara, Fillmore, 93015
Weekends in October Beginning October 4.  Ride a vintage train to “ICHABOG” the railway’s private pumpkin patch. For details or to make reservations call 805-524-2546 or 800-773-8724 or visit www.fwry.com.

And now, what will you do with your pumpkin? You can carve jack-o-lanterns in time for Halloween or make pumpkin pie in time for Thanksgiving.