day 19 of farmacology: national pumpkin day

One of the things you may not know about farm folks is that

we make do.

I've always dreamed of having a cute front porch display during the fall, complete with funky colored pumpkins and bundles of corn stalks and brightly colored ears of Indian corn. 

So basically like my mom's front porch.

But we have dogs. Four dogs. And if last year is any indication, a pumpkin would last about ten minutes before it became pumpkin puree spread across the lawn. 

Soooo . . . until our puppies quit teething, we make do with a close second: pumpkin granola and a house that smells like cinnamon. 

It's almost the same-ish. 

Granola lasts about a hot minute in a house with a farmer who likes to snack while he reads, so a double batch of granola is always a good idea. 

Better still, I actually had all of the ingredients on hand  . . . for once: oats, nuts, brown sugar, vanilla, even pumpkin and some caramel baking bits for good measure.

Add some pumpkin puree and some pumpkin pie spice, and our house was left smelling like a virtual pumpkin patch. 

Scratch that. 

Better still, like a pumpkin pie.

Our front porch may be a little -- ummmm -- minimalistic thanks to three puppies and a patient dog, but our house is smelling -- and tasting -- like fall. 

See?

We make do! 

Want to read more of my 31 day farmacology writing challenge? Click here. 

Cinnamon Pumpkin Granola from Creme de la Crumb

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped nuts - such as Diamond of California (almonds, walnuts, and pecans all work well in this recipe too)
• ½ cup coconut flakes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 325 and lightly grease a large baking sheet. (Preferable one with a raised edge)
2. In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, coconut, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.In another bowl whisk together honey, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin.
3. Pour the wet mixture mixture over the oats mixture and stir to coat well. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet in an even layer and bake 15 minutes, stir, and continue to bake in 10-15 minutes intervals, stirring well between each, until the granola is uniformly golden and no longer moist (for me this was a little over an hour but it will depend on your oven).
4. Allow to cool completely (the granola will crisp a little more as it cools.) Store completely cooled granola in airtight containers for 1-2 weeks.