Fall Harvest

Hunting season from 2013

Well it's mid-September now and the temperatures are cooling off some, the light is changing, the leaves are just starting to turn, and stores are coming out with pumpkin flavored options for just about everything from beer to oatmeal.

Yup, it's starting to feel like fall!

I'm used to this being the time of year you stock up for the coming winter.  There's hunting season, and plenty of tempting produce to freeze and can.

But I'm due on Thanksgiving day, so that would mean either climbing a deer stand while 9 months pregnant or processing a deer while also trying to care for a newborn.  Er, neither sound like good options so this will be the second year in a row I miss hunting season.

When I had a deer in our freezer I kind of took for granted how free I felt to throw a whole roast in the crockpot.  I do have the chicken from this spring, so we'll mostly be eating that this winter.

I also keep catching myself filling up the freezer with things like homemade butternut squash and pumpkin puree when I REALLY need to be emptying the freezer in preparation for filling it with freezer meals for after the baby is born.  Oops!

This year I'll have to partake in the season by drinking more than my fair share of pumpkin spice lattes instead of hunting and canning like I normally would ;-)

If you haven't made your own pumpin spice latte at home yet, give it a try!  It tastes WAY better and is also MUCH cheaper!

Pumpkin Spice Latte
Based on the recipe from Libby's

1 cup strong coffee
1/4 cup half & half
1 TBS pumpkin puree
1 TBS brown sugar
1/4 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp vanilla

You can just stir this all together and top with whipped cream (a delicious option), but if you put it in the blender and run it for a minute then you get the foamy top like you would at a coffee shop.  Both are delicious!  I love the rich body that you get from putting actual pumpkin in this.

I took a can of pumpkin puree and froze it in an ice cube tray, so when I want to make one of these I just microwave the pumpkin ice cube in some hot coffee and mix in the sugar and spices.  So easy, and so delicious!