It’s that time of year again! While some of us are having trouble registering that summer is almost over, at least we can tell ourselves along with the autumn breeze and Fall Harvest will come some of our favourite seasonal, nostalgic foods, including of course, pumpkins.
That’s right, pumpkin season is just around the corner, and both the Regions of York and Halton are ready to dive into the seasonal spirit with their annual Pumpkin Pie Trails. Though pumpkins are the main star, both events really celebrate the spirit of local food, local farms and the hard-working farmers in our backyards.
So grab your pumpkin-ized Farm Fresh Maps from York and/or Halton and hit a trail near you.
York Region sees their Pumpkin Pie Trail sprouting across their Farm Fresh Map for their second year (with last year’s shorter one-day event getting essentially rained out); this year the Region is coming back for longer, with a trail running from Saturday, September 27 to Sunday, October 5.
You’ll see 24 pumpkins on their map, representing all the farms that are participating in some sort of pumpkin activity, whether it’s the selling of the classic pumpkin pie, other pumpkin baked goods, or various crafts and educational activities. A versatile food allowing for many delicious options, farmers have the opportunity to be inventive in celebrating the pumpkin through taste, while some farms will likely have other exciting events too (perhaps a pumpking cannon, just maybe?) The several brown squares on the map highlight other nearby local food events that are certainly worth checking out as well.
Organizer Kim Empringham explains that it’s all about bringing people to the farms, encouraging them to visit and connect with their local farmers, and enjoy local produce that might not be found at the grocery store. The Region has reinvigorated their Farm Fresh Map, and felt that kicking it off with a fun, family-friendly event would help remind everyone that there are farms right in their backyard, and encourage them to visit. An urban region with a large population, it’s easy to forget that York Region has a lot of farming; in fact, 63% of York Region is covered in Greenbelt/Agriculture – it’s a huge part of the area and it’s got to be valued (and visited)! Events like these are the perfect time to start doing so.
Halton’s Pumpkin Trail is on its second year as well, with an even longer duration of pumpkins
covering their Farm Fresh Map, from September 19 to October 31. Similiarily to York’s, the Halton website describes the trail: “From innovative tasting experiences to pumpkin-themed accommodations and more, Halton’s Pumpkin Trail offers something for participants of all ages.”
Organizer and Farmer on the trail Liz Lambrick also tells us that the idea is to showcase Halton and all it has to offer, “using pumpkins as the glue”. Launched at last year’s Harvest Halton, their first Pumpkin Trail attracted about 12 local farms/farmers, and 25 businesses across Halton, all who featured pumpkins in some way for the month of October.
Like York’s, the Halton trail is also a self-guided tour of the Region, with a provided map directing visitors to the various locations participating in the pumpkin theme, along with other points of interests offering a taste of fall, in hopes of course to increase visits, connections and interest to the local farmers and businesses on the trail.
For the farmers, it is a fantastic opportunity to connect with visitors, local residents and families within their communities, while showcasing what they have to offer. Last year, Liz noticed there didn’t seem to be a recipe book focusing on the main star of the trail – so she wrote one for this year! “Pumpkins Galore” contains about 100 pumpkin recipes, from soups and salads to main courses and desserts. It also contains facts (and myths) about pumpkins, and tips on how to grow and store them. The book will be available at some of the Halton Trail pumpkin stops this year.
Participating farms and businesses for Halton are on their specialized Pumpkin Trail Map, as are York’s on their Pumpkin Trail Map.
So mark your calendars with little reminder pumpkins, it’s about that time, and get ready to participate in pumpkin-themed activities while connecting with your local farmers!