January - Apple Pie Healing
The Bitter Cold of New England
February - Chocolate Brownies
Valentine’s Day
March - Maple Syrup Cheese Cake
Massachusetts Maple Syrup Factory
April - Boston Cream Pie
Boston and Boston Bags
May - Giant Decoration Cake
The Star of the Graduation Party
June- Bake Sale
Labor, Reward and Fun!
July - Strawberry Shortcake
Independence Day
August - Cranberry Bread
Farmer's Market
September - Muffins
Memories of a College Student
October - Punpkin Pie
Halloween
November - Indian Pudding
Thanksgiving
December - Fruit Cake
Christmas
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At the end of October frost begins to appear in northeast New England and sometimes sleet turns to snow. Under the cold drizzly skies, children dress up in costumes and walk around their neighborhood to knock one house after the other ? it’s time for Halloween.
Children walk around calling of ‘Trick or Treat’ in the hopes of you giving them some goodies or they will play a trick on you. The neighbors prepare loads of wrapped candies and ready themselves for the onslaught of the little ‘monsters’. Candles adorn the windows and jack o’ lanterns guard the doors. A jack o’ lantern is an orange head sized pumpkin with its seeds scooped out, a knife is used to cut out his eyes and a nose, and a light can be placed inside in order to make it a lantern. Unfortunately these pumpkins are not the kind of pumpkins you can eat.
The ones you can eat are much plainer and slightly smaller. This kind of pumpkin’s fate is usually to become a pumpkin pie. Grown-ups with Halloween childhood memories in their hearts also get caught up in fancy costume parties. If you go to a home party there is always at least one big ‘monster’ who brings a freshly baked pumpkin pie which gives off a really nice smell.
Pumpkin translates as Kabocha but the taste of pumpkin is quite different from the taste of Japanese Kabocha. Japanese Kabocha is sold under the name of Kabocha pumpkin and common pumpkins you see at grocery stores in the states are moister yet less glutinous. They are also not as flavorsome and therefore some more flavor needs to be added. Rich cream, heavy syrup and brown sugar instead of white sugar are usually used when making a pumpkin pie. Spices such as cinnamon, cloves and pepper are added and all poured into a pie crust and baked in the oven.
It can be eaten as is, however, the adult ‘monsters’ who have by now reverted to children would go grab whipped cream from the kitchen to eat with the pumpkin pie. In the states you can buy mouse-like ready-made whipped cream in a spray bottle. Just as if they were back to children again, they forget about all the diets they have to worry about for the moment, they would practically drown their pies in the whipped cream. In the midst of all the commotion, the Fall continues to go on.
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