Fussy Pumpkins

Monday we returned to our normal Monday farm share pick up schedule. Jen picked up the produce with the boys while I was at work.


This week we got carrots, collard greens, spinach, butternut squash, radishes, garlic, celeriac, beets, Golden Delicious Apples, Rome Apples, and Seckle Pears. The shares are dying down a bit as we near the end of the 2012 season. But let's face it, no one that reads this blog anymore really cares about the vegetables. You only care about babies.

You are so fickle.


On Tuesday I had the day off with the guys while Jen worked. I finally caught Martin rolling over on video. I also set myself an aggressive to do list and was able to get all of it done. I replaced the faucet on our sink, cleaned the kitchen, did all the dishes, made a giant vat of applesauce with all the accumulated apples, and set up my new Raspberry Pi.

Then at 4:00 PM the babies began what would be an eighteen hour mega-fuss that rendered us unable to do anything but boil some frozen raviolis to shove down our gullets before returning to their care. Even with my mother and father dropping by it was difficult getting to bed before midnight.


Last night was another late night so we ordered Chinese food and had this Ichabod Pumpkin Ale from New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, Michigan, a brewery/brewpub we visited back in 2009.

It was pretty good though a bit heavy on the spices. I typically like my pumpkin beers to have the spice levels so low that I can't tell they're even there. I think this is the first pumpkin beer I've had from a brewery not located on the East Coast. I'm sure within the next year they'll be making pumpkin beers in San Diego breweries to further mock the idea behind the style. It's not like anyone is using fresh pumpkin anyway. We should just make these beers year round since it just requires opening up a tin of pumpkin puree.


Today it was just me, Nana STIM, and the babies. They continued their new found love for eating tiny amounts multiple times an hour and also had a great round of tummy time where Elliott destroyed his older brother in five straight rounds of "Let's See Who Can Roll Over First." Not to worry, we sent Martin home with a case of Turtle Wax and a copy of the home game.


As we attempted to soothe Elliott in the absence of his mother I made this salad with mixed greens, farm pears, Parrano cheese, walnuts, olive oil, and a drizzle of honey.


I also poured this Vidal-Fleury 2007 Cotes du Rhone for the ladies while I served up the main course.


Since there hasn't been a whole lot of cooking going on lately I decided to use up a huge chunk of the vegetables by roasting them and serving them in a light broth. I roasted the farm carrots, celeriac, potato, radishes, garlic, onion, and butternut squash along with some fresh sage. I also toasted some old bread cubes and finished it all together in the oven with a little chicken stock and grated Reggiano-Parmigianno.


Additionally I added Chiogga beets to the dish. It was nice to be able to add beets and not turn the entire dish purple. This dish was inspired by that delicious vegetable dish we had last summer in Dijon. I opted not to serve it with a piece of veal the size of my head.


With dinner I had yet another pumpkin beer, this Punk'n from Uinta Brewing Co. This was a very well balanced pumpkin beer. It did not knock me over with the spices but it did have a slight heat coming from ginger or cinnamon. It was extremely a very low alcohol beer so drinking two -- something I would normally consider a wild night -- was a piece of cake.

And here we have the updated standings for this year's crop of pumpkin beers:

2012 Pumpkin Beer Standings

1. Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale - rich maltiness
   
2. Uinta Brewing Company Punk'n - nicely balanced
   
3. New Holland Brewing Company Ichabod Ale - heavy spice
   
4. Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale - slightly sour
   
5. Fire Island Beer Company Pumpkin Barrel Ale - too much cinnamon
   

Tomorrow we return to the world of pumpkin beers and see what is next on this wild, foolish crusade. One thing is sure: it will be nice to have a regular garden variety beer after all this.