The Great Pumpkin Search is Over!

This is the face of a happy, happy girl.

I finally got the pumpkin patch experience I had been dreaming of since last fall! Today was a fairly chilly day for Florida (in the 60s) so I asked The Mister if we could go to the pumpkin patch & he happily obliged. We found a GREAT little pumpkin patch set up at a church down the street from our house. The cool air really made it feel like fall and when I got out of the car and saw this sea of pumpkins, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

Pumpkin shortage? What pumpkin shortage?

There were so many pumpkins! I dragged The Mister back and forth across that pumpkin patch so many times searching for the perfect pumpkin. It was so hard to choose with so many beautiful options! Well, that and we (okay, I) kept getting distracted looking at all the sweet babies being propped up by their mamas against pumpkins for the perfect fall photo. They were all so precious I wasn't sure if I wanted to take home a baby or a pumpkin! We had such a good time watching the little ones searching for their favorite pumpkin...and even more entertaining was the little guy who decided he'd rather kick his pumpkin around the patch like a soccer ball!

While we were looking at the pumpkins, The Mister and I discussed how many we needed to get. I said two, one for each of us. But he said just one. It turns out that in his house growing up they got one pumpkin and everyone helped carve it. But, in my house, each of us kids had our own pumpkin and our parents helped us all carve them. Isn't funny how with holiday traditions people always want to do what their family did growing up? Like, how people who grew up with fake Christmas trees will usually grow up to buy a fake tree for their own homes. (I myself am firmly planted in the real Christmas tree camp. But we can get into this controversial topic in December.) I guess doing things the way you grew up doing them brings back good memories. As for The Mister and I & our pumpkin debate - we compromised and got two pumpkins, like I wanted. :)

Don't I look so proud?

Here are our pumpkins at home, patiently waiting to be carved. I love these little guys so much! I'm sort of sad to know we're going to have to hack into them soon. But I guess they need to fulfill their Halloween destiny and transform from pumpkins to jack-o-lanterns.

They also had bins full of little pumpkins in varying sizes and colors. I thought they were just adorable, so I grabbed a handful for our kitchen counter. They called the larger one in the back a "pie pumpkin".

I wish I had asked why. Now I'm wondering whether this is the size of the pumpkins which are used to make canned pumpkin puree. I've always assumed they used large pumpkins, like the ones you carve. The lady at the pumpkin patch told me they're getting more pumpkins in next week and I only half jokingly said I'd be back next weekend. If I do, I'll try to get to the bottom of this pie pumpkin mystery. :) I know you're all on the edge of your seats. (I'm pretty sure this is the most thought anyone has ever devoted to the process of canned pumpkin puree.)

Hope you all have as great a time finding your perfect pumpkin as I did!