There really is far too much pumpkin goodness to be found around town these days, so much so that it takes real restraint to not post everything I've found all on one day. I figure I should pace myself since I'm sure at some point things will start to taper off. Right now I've got a sticky note on my desk with two things that need reviewing, plus probably four or five more that I know so well I don't need notes to remember how they taste. So rest assured, there's plenty to come.

But first, let's do something just a little different. Obviously we all love treats and the delicious flavor of pumpkin, but what about finding a pumpkin to call your very own? After last year's horrible failure at finding a pumpkin patch around SLO, I was determined to be more successful this October. This last weekend, my friend and I both joined up in the hunt for a decent patch and I stumbled across La Familia Ranch. Unfortunately, the place has no website and the directions to finding it merely say "Los Osos Valley Road," which, as most SLO natives know, is about as descriptive as saying Cal Poly is "in California." So it was a bit of an adventure, but it's located about 5 miles North of where LOVR meets Foothill, on your left. We almost missed it because we were looking on the wrong side. It says it's open from 9-dusk, 7 days a week, so you can get yourself a pumpkin most any time.

The actual place was a lot smaller than I'm used to, the pumpkin patches in Oregon are huge, and there are a ton of them. It didn't have any food for sale, no pumpkin butter, jams, or any other produce, just pumpkin, gourds, and corn. The had a little shack set up as a jail for kids, a small corn maze, and a trail lined with fake dead body parts through the woods. While cute, none of the attractions were worth going back for.

When I went there was no u-pick pumpkins, but I'm not sure if this is true for the entire season. They did have plenty of pumpkins though, each individually marked with the price, which was quite helpful. They had a good variety of shapes and sizes and most are under 3 dollars, which is an incredible deal, there were definitely some good-looking pumpkins for 1.50 (like the one I got). Perhaps the most impressive thing was that they had real pie pumpkins (also called sugar pumpkins), that are quite a bit more pricey for their smaller size, but I had to grab one to cook up later, since I'd never done it before. I'll be sure to let you know how it tastes, but the price of it makes me less inclined to go back and buy more when the canned is more convenient.

Overall, La Familia is cute, and it does deliver on the pumpkins, but not much else. However, it's probably your best bet for finding good pumpkins around SLO, I know there's a bigger one in Avila, but that's a bit of a drive and rumor has that it's crowded and maybe a bit over-priced. If you're looking for something to carve or cook, this is definitely the place for you.