Join us Saturday, Sept. 22, for Pumpkin Painting
There’s something therapeutic about walking through the woods as leaves crunch underfoot, smelling a wood fire burning and tasting roasted marshmallows meld with chocolate while sandwiched between two graham crackers. It’s no wonder fall is my favorite season!
This season I’ll be sharing a few of my favorite experiences with visitors to Enchanted Acres Pumpkin Patch at 1071 250th Street in Sheffield, Iowa. Our new business adventure will begin Friday, Sept. 21. Hours of operation will be: Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. We’ll be open through the last the weekend of October.
Pick your own pumpkins, find your way through a corn maze or simply enjoy watching the goats. In addition to pumpkins, Enchanted Acres will sell mums, corn shocks, Indian corn, decorative bales of straw and hay plus handmade crafts.
Watch Facebook/EnchantedAcres for special events and classes. The first Pumpkin Painting classes are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22. Two sessions will be held that day with the first session from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. and the second session from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Cost is $5 per pumpkin painter. To register, call 1-641-422-4207. For the early session, request course number 84281. For the later session, request course number 84283.
Also on Sept. 22, the City of Sheffield is hosting its annual 
Oktoberfest celebration in the park. It’s a great time to taste-test barbecue with activities the whole family will enjoy, including chicken scrambles, greased pig contests, a 5K run/walk, bean bag tournament and minnow races.
Although we’re starting small this year, I’m so excited about what the future holds for Enchanted Acres! We’re in the process of building a new barn, so we can expand to a petting zoo. We also plan to offer more fun and games next season, so families can come again and enjoy something new.
You can enjoy a taste of fall at home this weekend by serving up simple lunch of Harvest Chowder and pumpkin muffins. I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes below. If you top these muffins with cream cheese frosting, you can call them dessert. (I vote for having dessert at breakfast time!) They’ll taste like pumpkin bars, which is another of my fall favorites. And then there are pumpkin tarts… Give these recipes a try and let me know which one is your favorite.
Pumpkin Muffins
Sift Together:
1 ¾ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
In a small bowl, beat:
2 eggs
1 c. oil
1 ½ c. sugar
Add 1, 15-oz. can of pumpkin and dry ingredients to egg mixture. Beat for 2 minutes. Pour into muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool and top with cream cheese frosting.
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