Pumpkin Picking - Our Family Tradition

I love Halloween, it feels like the start of the winter activities and I love nothing more than dark evenings snuggled under blankets with candles glowing in the corner, stews bubbling away and thick socks keeping toes warm.

It also means we get to go pumpkin picking, this has become our tradition and something that not only allows us to go and choose that perfect pumpkin ourselves, but also enables the children to see where they come from and that food doesn't just come from the shops.

It also supports a local farm and business and for that I am happy to pay a bit extra for my pumpkins, the guys over at Maxey's have had their pumpkin patch for the last four years and we have visited every year.

Watching it grow and more and more people visit each year has been great and I take my hat off to them in creating something that brings people together.

My two absolutely love choosing their own pumpkins to carve, my son even named his. It is seeing them sat in the fields that really brings home the amount of work that actually goes into producing these these well loved vegetables.

From tiny shoots to bright orange beauties, we should all support our local farmers and ensure that they can carry on producing wonderful foods and memories for years to come.

Did you go pumpkin picking this year or do you have any traditions for you and your family?

Loving the Simple Things

We love to go out and explore but sometimes you don't want to leave the house, after a busy week we decided that we needed a day at home, so yesterday we got out into the garden and made the most of the sun when it peeped out from behind the clouds. You don't need a massive garden to enjoy being outdoors, a blanket on the grass, a disposable bbq, some chocolate digestives, marshmallows and a few cups of hot chocolate were enough for us to enjoy being outside.

These s'mores are super easy to make, all you need are a few chocolate digestives and some marshmallows, pop them on the bbq for several minutes each side and you have yourself some gooey yumminess. Perfect with a mug of hot chocolate and maybe a few more marshmallows.

Afterwards we listened to the skylarks that fly above the field behind us and looked for bugs in the in the garden, we planted some seeds and played with the hoola hoop, it was simple and yet made up for the fact we hadn't been anywhere.

We while away many hours in the garden like this and when summer hopefully makes an appearance there will be even more hours to fill with time in the garden and outdoors, we love to take walks in the field behind us picking up some treasures on the way.

What do you do in your garden that makes you love the simple things? 

Pumpkin Picking, an Autumn Treat

It's half term for us at the moment and with the weather holding out for the time being, we headed to Maxeys Farm Shop for a bit of pumpkin picking. We visited last year and the kids loved it, if you are local to Nottingham I can highly recommend it.

With a wheelbarrow in tow, we headed out into the field to survey the pumpkins and pick the ones we wanted. With prices ranging from £2 to £5 or a bit more for the really big ones, there isn't much difference between buying from a supermarket, except with this you are supporting a small and local business.

There were so many to chose, from teeny tiny ones to some super big ones, ranging in colour from  green to yellow and beautiful orange. Both the children chose their pumpkins, although when we got home my daughter decided she wanted mine, we even found one for Daddy too.

After we checked our pumpkins and examined them in all their pumpkin beauty, we headed to pay. I have often spoken with Katherine the owner of Maxey's and her dedication to making this a great event is wonderful. She gave both the children a lucky dip ticket to take inside to get themselves a little prize, this meant I got to swoon over the many beautiful vegetables, meats, cakes, breads, cheeses and much more that they sell. I did buy a few bits that I needed and we took home our pumpkins and they are now taking pride of place in the lounge until we carve them next week.

This wonderful outdoor activity means you can enjoy what autumn has to offer, wonderful colours and beautiful shapes and if you don't fancy carving your pumpkins then how about some wonderful warming soup or pies?