Jack-be-Little . . . Jack-be-Quick?

Photo by: M.Riley

Jack-be-Little

Coming in at a mere 3" across and 2" high, the Jack-be-Little is cute miniature pumpkin that fits into the palm of your hand, as well as super easy for children to hold.  They are so adorable, that I wish I could buy about a hundred of them and have them up all year round.  There are three different versions of the Jack-be-Little which are the typical orange colored ones, a mix between white and orange, or the all white mini pumpkins that are actually called "Baby Boo".  Little did I know, these are scientifically considered gourds, though... who calls them gourds?  Everyone knows them as pumpkins, so let's just keep it that way!  When harvesting them you should never break the stem, only cut them off once the stem has turned brown.  One plant can grow between 8-10 miniature pumpkins.

Photo by: M.Riley

Jack-be-Quick

Jack-be-Quick miniature pumpkins are a branch off of the Jack-be-Little pumpkins. They grow to be a tad bit larger, with a stem that is thicker and longer.  They come in bright orange and they keep well.

Have you ever cooked a pumpkin?  Personally, I thought you could only cook the Sugar Pie Pumpkins, but little did I know you can cook these little guys, too!  Check out the recipe I posted below from simpleseasonal.com.

recipe:

Savory Mushroom & Quinoa Stuffed Mini Pumpkins

http://simpleseasonal.com/recipes/savory-mushroom-and-quinoa-stuffed-mini-pumpkins

information courtesy of:

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/jackblittlepumpkin.htm

http://allaboutpumpkins.com/varieties.html#jackbelittle

pumpkins. hugs. smiles.

The Crunchy Leaf

Your Typical Orange Pumpkin

Photo by: M.Riley

HELLO, MY FALL LOVERS!

I'm sure that you have noticed that there are so many different types of pumpkins.  I have seen them range from white to speckled, to blue-ish colored and everywhere in between.  They also have a variation of size.  Have you seen those GIGANTIC pumpkins?  Those are so amazing if you ask me!

We've all seen the beautiful and outstanding Typical Orange Pumpkin (pictured above) debut around late September/early October and along with it comes ALL THINGS PUMPKIN.  Which to me, that is a beautiful thing, though I was already on that pumpkin grind before PUMPKIN EVERYTHING was a thing.  Even though everyone claims to love all things pumpkin, do they really know all there is to know about pumpkins?  Well, I figured we should have a history and informational lesson on those beautiful fiery Typical Orange Pumpkin.
The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word, "pepon", which means "giant melon".  The French then took it and adapted it to 'ponpom".  Next the Brittish changed it to "pumpion".  Lastly, the American colonists changed it to "pumpkin", which is obviously still used today.  Pumpkins are a part of the Winter Squash family.  They are thought to be native to North America.  You do not cook or eat the pumpkins that you would normally gut and carve for Halloween.  Out of all 7 continents, Antarctica is the only one that cannot produce pumpkins.  The pumpkin is one of the most popular crops in the United States.  The highest pumpkin producing states are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California.

I hope you learned a little bit about pumpkins.  Stay tuned for more information regarding my favorite types of pumpkins, recipes, and more.

hot tea, pumpkins, and hugs,
The Crunchy Leaf

Autumn Mornings

Autumn Sunrise

Hello my Autumn lovers!

Here is a glimpse of the sunrise from October 4, 2016.

I'd have to say that the sunrise is one of my favorite things about Fall.  I love waking up to it shining through my window then getting to walk outside and feel the cool air dance across my face while I sip some hot tea.  How about getting to go for a nice morning stroll while the sunrise lights up the morning sky and shines its beautiful golden rays across your face?

What do you enjoy most about Autumn mornings?  Do you drink tea or do you prefer coffee more?

pumpkins, hugs, and hot tea,

The Crunchy Leaf

HAPPY AUTUMN!  HAPPY OCTOBER!

Hello, Everyone!  I welcome you with open arms to come on this blog journey with me.  I will be featuring everything from Photography, Recipes, DIY projects, my love for Fall, to outfits, daily life, and anything else I decide to post.

My goals for this blog are to spread happiness, creativity, and most importantly, self-love.

I challenge everyone to say these affirmations everyday for 30 days, 2x a day:

I am enough.

I am loved. 

I invite all positive things into my life.

I release all negativity from my body.

I replace all negative feelings with love and joy.

pumpkins, smiles, hugs.

The Crunchy Leaf.