Picking Pumpkins and Perfect Costumes
We're more than halfway through October already, so, naturally, pumpkins and costumes flood the brain. I love any excuse to wear all green, so last year I put on my green jumpsuit, paired with a greasy rag and a wrench in my pocket, and, ta-da, I was a mechanic! The year before that, I dyed a draped, white, thrift-store dress a bright forest color, fashioned a crown made of leaves, and was a wood nymph. This year? Who knows! I don’t know about you, but I could use some inspiration. Luckily we have our costume swap table happening both this Sunday, the 19th, and the next, October 26th. Bring old costumes to help us establish our costume library, and grab something new and exciting! You don’t have to give in order to take — though, of course, any costume donations are greatly appreciated.
Hudson Valley Breads is returning to the market this week, and bringing back a beloved tradition of theirs: the Sourdough Pumpkin loaf! This golden boule is made with pumpkin purée, warming spices, and a touch of maple syrup. Why not try it with some nut butter, or grab some Mead Orchards apples and make this apple butter? Or maybe with your favorite soup from Soupernaturall. It’s the perfect loaf to welcome the fleece season.
If you’re on the hunt for even more pumpkin to incorporate into your life this month, Amanda from The Hampton Grocer has a delicious pumpkin spice granola, made with certified organic gluten-free oats, whole nuts, super seeds, and crystalized ginger. This on top of her usual array of small batch granola — and the return of Sugar Shack Creamery’s delicious yogurt — means that breakfast for the week is covered, and thank goodness! My other job has been increasingly busy lately (’tis the tourist season) and I’ve been having a hard time sticking to my rule of eating breakfast before drinking coffee. Did you know that eating in the morning before caffeine aids nutrient absorption, minimizes blood sugar spikes, and lets your body naturally release cortisol, a hormone that helps you wake up? That said… we are all creatures of habits that work for us, and your morning routine is your own, so Cano Coffee won’t be asking you to prove you’ve had breakfast before giving you a cuppa joe! A nice hot coffee and a chocolate cardamom cookie from Zeena Bakery sounds like an ideal pairing this weekend… (BTW, in the cookie department, we’ve also got Butter + Bow visiting with their their globally inspired cookies that are also wperfect-for-gifting, so you are spoiled for choice!)
With so many amazing sweet treats at the market this week, I’m going to save my pumpkin dessert recipes for later in the month… but there are so many savory ways to enjoy your gorgeous pumpkins from Madura or Halal Pastures Farm. Sure, you can just have them to look at, decorating your windows and your front steps, but why not make this easy pumpkin chili.
Having a dinner party soon? Buy some Dukkah spices from Zeena Bakery to make this Jamie Oliver recipe for Dukkah roast chicken with eggplant and squash. Use pumpkin,natch.
Consider these adorable savory stuffed pumpkins? Kariba has you covered for the dried cranberries, and Letterbox and R&M Farm can provide the sausages!
Or try this pumpkin lasagna, made with Maplebrook Creameries ricotta and Titusville spinach. (You will be making your own pumpkin puéee, obvs. Here’s how!)
And while Fairy Juice doesn’t have a pumpkin-based elixir, I’m feeling great this week after having their orangest concoction — carrot, pineapple, ginger, turmeric, and other healthy ingredients! Stop by to chat with Marlon at his tent and distract him from the chill in the air. This is the time of year when some vendors are shivering, and others, like Lucy from Letterbox, are happily prepping for snow. Catch her knitting away in between selling her top notch eggs! I can’t wait to catch a glimpse of her needles clacking away over bright red yarn. There’s always something fun to observe at the market!
Come see for yourselves, and maybe you’ll even figure out who — or what — you’re going to be on All Hallow’s Eve, to boot.
