Tis the season. Yes - I just said that. Folks might think that phrase is locked up for Christmas but in my little humble kitchen 'tis the season' is a year round affair. One 'season' of food after another parades itself through my kitchen from January through December. There was a time when I thought apples, herbs and tomatoes were year round... but then I started to pay attention to 'seasonal produce' and realized most food isn't grown locally, seasonally. I won't hop on a soapbox - entertaining though it would be - instead lets focus on today. NOW. October! We are not 'talking tomatoes' - instead in the PNW - we are talking:

Delicata squash. Acorn squash. The tail end of garlic and tomatoes. We are talking: potatoes! Sugar Pie Pumpkins. Spaghetti squash, kale, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, beets and onions, cranberries and apples. Part and parcel to Halloween, pumpkins are front and center. I like to buy hoards of pumpkins (they store well) and soak up what this season has to offer!

Let the carving, seed-roasting and pumpkin eating begin! Here is a trove of pumpkin recipes and inspiration:

Love this from Andrea's Recipes: how to roast and puree your own pumpkin, plus pumpkin whoopie pies!

Elizabeth from food blog Liz The Chef - makes Pumpkin Orange Flan

From [my] Talk of Tomatoes archives: Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Ginger Soup, Pumpkin Quinoa Chili, Pumpkin Cheesecake bites w/Gingersnap Crust

Farm Fresh Feasts rocks a Pumpkin Mac & Cheese from cookbook MELT (excuse me while I zip over to her house!) - and Foodie Tots showcases a similarly inspired Pumpkin Onion Mac & Cheese.

Kate in the Kitchen changes it up with Pumpcakes & Compote

Lexie's Kitchen did a guest post for Williams Sonoma (how cool is that?) and offered this beautiful gluten-free pumpkin pie

Two fave bloggers come together: Marissa of Food in Jars serves up a guest post - and Maple Sweetened Pumpkin Butter - on Aimee's Simple Bites blog (also includes quick and simple instructions for cooking whole fresh pumpkins to then turn into your own puree!).

Laura of What's For Dinner Mom? Knows what a mom needs. stat: DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte

Is it just me or does this have list of pumpkin recipes have 'pumpkin-themed menu' written all over it?

Final little unabashed plug: Since I live in Seattle I was able to buy local, sustainable pumpkins right from the farmer - through FARMSTR (beta in SEA) - an online marketplace where consumers can search for local farmers and directly buy quality farm food.