Best Pumpkins
Thursday, October 07, 2010
It's October, if you don't take a weekend drive to gaze at fall foliage and stop at a local farm for pumpkin picking you risk being exiled from New England. Pick up some sugar pumpkins while you're at one of these best pumpkin farms and you can make some deliciously spicy soup from the recipe below when you get home. It's a great warm dish to take back to the patch on Halloween night when you sit waiting with Linus and Sally.
Salisbury Farm, 11 Peck Hill Rd., Johnston, RI, open: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday. In addition to pumpkins, Salibury Farm offers a number of fall activites. There's a tractor led hay ride to the pumpkin patch, snacks and drinks in their barn and a corn maze. They claim to have one of the very first corn mazes in New England, with more than a mile of paths within the five-acre corn field.
Four Town Farm, 90 George St. Seekonk, MA, open: 9:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday. Located right outside Providence, close to I-195, Four Town Farm is a great spot for city slickers who can't quite make it to the wilds of Cranston or Johnston. They also have a tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch, and if you call ahead you can schedule an educational tour as well.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSchartner Farms, 1 Arnold Pl., Exeter, RI, open: 7:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday to Sunday. Not only does Schartner Farms have a large pumpkin patch to select the perfect pumpkin from, but, like the next farm on the list, there is an extensive farm stand on the property where you can shop for local goodies to enhance your pumpkin picking experience. If you're feeling really adventurous, drive up to Route 102 and take it north all the way to Slatersville for some beautiful scenery.
Confreda Greenhouses & Farms, 2150 Scituate Ave., Cranston, RI, open: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday. Another wonderful drive for fall foliage is along Route 12 in Cranston, through Scituate and along the dam at the southern end of the Scituate Reservoir. Central to the drive is Confreda Farms. In addition to the pumpkin picking, hay ride and corn maze, Confreda also offers amusement rides and games, along with a concession stand. If you're looking for some evening fun, don't forget their long-running Scary Acres.
Riverside Farm, Burdickville Rd., Charlestown, RI, open: 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday to Sunday. There aren't a ton of pumpkin picking choices down by coastal Rhode Island, but if you venture into Charlestown a bit you'll find a tree farm that's active all year long. Riverside's claim to pumpkin fame is their pumpkin slingshot, the only farm in RI to have one. So go pick a pumpkin to carve, a pumpkin to eat and a pumpkin to hurl 150 yards through space.
Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
1 sugar pumpkin, approx. 4 lbs.
1 Tbs unsalted butter
2 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream
1/4 cup orange juice
freshly grated nutmeg
dashes of Tabasco (to taste)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Split the pumpkin in half and place it, cut side down, on a greased baking sheet. Bake until the pumpkin can be completely pierced through, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool, then remove the seeds. Scrape the flesh out of the skin and reserve the flesh.
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and onions, and cook until the onions are soft and the bacon is just browning, about 8-10 minutes. Add the pumpkin and stock and simmer until the pumpkin falls apart, about 30 minutes. Let cool and then either with a stick blender in the pot or in batches in a blender, puree the soup until very smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean soup pot and add the cream and orange juice. Season to taste, with nutmeg, Tabasco, salt and pepper.
Photos David Dadekian
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