Well, besides making a million phone calls to the same dear friends and loved ones (who are never home or who are simply ignoring me) over and over, I have been up to some fun stuff.
Today, we ventured to the Barsana Orchards where we picked beautiful persimmons. This variety is called Fuyu (Fuyugaki) and they are the non-astringent type...so the ones that don't make you pucker like a fish. It was such a beautiful morning driving out to the hill country and to be surrounded by nature and quiet. (Oh how I wish my dream of living in the country will come true sooner than later!) So there they were, these beauties, ripe and dripping from the trees. Little man was so excited and had no difficulty picking them right off. I've never had a persimmon, well, at least not a fresh one. One of the farmers was kind enough to cut open one for us to try and it's a bit like an apple but without a whole lot of crunch. You can eat the whole thing or just eat the inner flesh. Yumminess all around! We came home with about 4 lbs. worth, so about 20 beauties. I have gifted some to friends and neighbors, but I'm so looking forward to cooking something up with them. Maybe some persimmon empanandas? A pie? Hmmmm....
After our time spent picking, we walked the grounds of Barsana Dham. This is such a beautiful place to visit for so many reasons. I have attended several Yoga retreats and have certainly attended services there. It is always such a peaceful place to visit, to get away and to get your mind off of many things. We walked for a while moving past the orchards, visting nearby streams and creeks. We saw several baby grass snakes and a few fish. I love it! We took many photos, yet we still are having difficulty uploading photos..argh. It was a wonderful morning.
In other crafty news, I have finished some pajama pants for my little man. Of course, done with his favorite diggers and dumpers...you know, construction machines and what not. Well, he loves them and is cozy in bed right now wearing them. I found an old Simplicity pattern at the thrift store recently, so I just used that. It worked perfectly. I also made some pants for my dear niece and neighbor. They are just adorable!
I am also cooking up a storm over here with whatdoyaknow...pumpkin!!! I purchased a couple of pie pumpkins and still have one to cook and 1/2 of one to puree. Yum. I found this empananda recipe, but I find it too buttery and too sweet. My husband on the other hand loves it, so I think I'll have to find another that we can both appreciate. But what I do love is the pure pumpkin puree! There's nothing like cutting open a pumpkin to cook. Using the pumpkin goo (what wee one calls the innards of a pumpkin) is so nice, so sweet. And this is the first time where I'm actually using a pumpkin rather than the canned stuff. I highly recommend the real deal folks! I am hoping to get to a pumpkin pie as well. Pumpkin muffins? Pumpkin, pumpkin?
Halloween is almost here! And I am convinced that Solan, who agrees with me, will be a mushroom. I admit, I get some stares, some guffaws, but I think it'll be gosh darn cute. But yesterday he said the most hilarious thing. After my neighbor asked him if he was still going to be pumpkin he said, "No, I'm gonna be a kitty kat." And then he suddenly said, "I'm gonna be a COTTONBALL!!" Haaaaaaaaaaaa! I think that's hilarious and downright awesome! So, I'm a bit undecided between a cottonball or a mushroom. Help me decide folks, seriously: a fungi or the sister of the q-tip!?! Vote vote vote!! Happy Sunday night!