It was 11:47 PM on a chilly Tuesday in October, and I had a very specific, almost desperate craving for something pumpkin-spiced and slathered in … Read more

I was at the farmers’ market last October, standing in front of a mountain of sugar pumpkins, completely frozen. The woman running the stall—an older … Read more

My husband had claimed to hate pumpkin desserts for our entire marriage. Eight years. Every autumn, I’d pull out the cans of puree, dreaming of … Read more

My niece Clara asked me why I couldn’t just pour the apple cider into the donut batter instead of reducing it on the stove. I … Read more

The neighborhood fall bake-off was in two days and I’d completely forgotten. I mean, I’d been staring at the sign-up sheet in the coffee shop … Read more

There used to be a tiny bakery tucked inside a converted gas station off Highway 9 that made a pumpkin loaf so good it ruined … Read more

This was supposed to be a pumpkin bread. A simple, reliable loaf that I could slice up for a week of breakfasts. But the power … Read more

I was standing in the middle of the hardware store, holding a bag of lightbulbs I didn’t really need, when the cashier—a quiet woman named … Read more

I was standing in the dairy aisle of a grocery store last November when the smell hit me. Not a bad smell — it was … Read more