Embracing Fall.

It was such a sunny weekend that a visit to the pumpkin patch at Shamrock Farms in Comox was a top priority (amongst having friends over for dinner, painting our den and finishing some fall yard maintenance).

We were happy to have my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin along for the ride. If you live in the area and have not yet been to Shamrock Farms you have to go. There are chickens to feed, goats to pet, a fun Halloween display and of course pumpkins to pick. My son took a particular shine to a certain black chicken and a dirt pile so that he could hardly be convinced to go to the patch to choose a pumpkin. In the end we left with four perfect pumpkins (one for each family member plus little miss or mister still to arrive).

"That black chicken is so much fun!"

Before we even got to the patch we started out with pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. Why not? My Mom found the recipe in the Save-On-Foods flyer and knew I would love it. I am a huge fan of pumpkin pie (the filling really as I don’t love pastry). This was a no-brainer to try.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp of cinnamon or pumpkin spice (a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice)
1.5 cups of low fat milk
1 cup canned pumpkin (just plain pumpkin not pie filling)
2 eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil

Preparation
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.
In a small bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin, eggs, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients until just blended.
Pour about 1/4 to 1⁄3 cup batter onto hot griddle or frying pan. Cook until tops are bubbly, turn and cook other side until browned.
Makes 10-12 Pancakes

A chef in the making?

These were very moist and tender. I found I had to add a little more milk to thin the batter a bit. The pumpkin wasn’t very strong so kids and non-pumpkin lovers would likely not be offended. I made a double batch and froze some for easy toasting on weekday mornings. Pumpkin is loaded with beta-carotene and this recipe is a great way to get some extra in. I think a few chopped pecans could be a really nice addition.

I made a few changes: I used all whole wheat flour instead of a blend of white and whole wheat, I also just added the eggs whole. The original recipe called for separating them then whipping the whites, which wasn’t necessary for a nice end product…why add extra time and dishes?! I will also say that the canned pumpkin smell and appearance can be a bit of a turn off,  power through.

Get your fall on people!