Mmmmmm

Holy cow; it's October.  Already.  It seems like summer's been gone forever already.  I'm hoping the weather improves a little, especially because we're going apple picking this week.

I do generally like fall.  Not only is it pretty, the cooler temps means soup and baking weather. We do lose those fabulous summer fruits, but I like different squashes as well.  I'm looking forward to doing more with pumpkin this year.

I know; pumpkin in October is cliched. But I've never done a lot with pumpkin beyond jack-o-lanterns.  One year, I did make a pumpkin pie from a pumpkin instead of a can.  It was a LOT more work, and it didn't seem to have any extra flavor. I think canned pumpkin is pretty straightforward. But this year, I'm going to give pumpkin another go.  I'll cook it in the crockpot instead of roasting it, though.  The kids love roasting the seeds, too.

I'd like to have bags of puree in the freezer, and I'm going to try making pumpkin butter.  As for what I'm going to do with it once I have this bounty, I have a few ideas (oatmeal, pancakes, muffins, soup, maybe polenta?), but not much beyond the basics.  Any suggestions?  I'd love to hear some favorite pumpkin recipes, either sweet or savory.