Denver Pumpkin Patch Bounty: How About From-Scratch Pie?

DENVER, CO — The past several months have kindled new interest in baking as Americans spend more time hunkering down at home to avoid the coronavirus. Buying a pumpkin for a jack-o’-lantern is one reason to visit pumpkin patches in metro Denver, but 2020 could also be the year to make pumpkin pies from scratch.

Sure, canned pumpkin will do the trick. It’s healthy and packed with nutrients, and some of the top cooking websites say it stacks up well against the homemade pumpkin purée and saves busy cooks a ton of time.

But there’s something soothing, meditative and cathartic about digging into the pumpkin with your hands and scooping out the stringy innards and seeds. The coronavirus culinary revolution reflects our collective hunger to take control of at least one thing in our upended lives. #StressBaking isn’t just a social media hashtag.

Just dress for the occasion, and wear gloves if the sliminess is too much for you.

The first thing you need to do is head to one of the pumpkin patches around Denver. Here are some of them:

Chatfield Farms

Address: 8500 W Deer Creek Canyon Rd., Littleton
Season opening/closing dates: Oct. 1 to Oct. 31
Attractions: corn maze, mini maze, many different gardens
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Pricing: General admission tickets are $7 for adults; $5 for students and seniors. Children under age 12 get in free. Tickets will not be available on site and must be purchased here.
Phone: 720-865-3500
Website: botanicgardens.org/Chatfieldfarms

Maize in the City

Address: 10451 McKay Rd., Thornton
Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 26 to Oct. 31
Attractions: Corn field maze, mini maze, playground, sand art, face painting, petting zoo, barrel train, corn launcher, pony rides
Hours: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; however mazes close at 6 p.m.
Pricing: Pumpkin field admission is free; Corn maze is $12 for adults and $9 for children; the mini maze is $5 per child.
Phone: 720-408-0006
Website: maizeinthecity.com

Flat Acres Farm

Address: 11321 Dransfeldt Rd., Parker
Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 26 to Oct. 31
Attractions: Corn Maze, hay bale maze, duck races, giant Jenga, bouncy house, hay rides, petting zoo, climbing wall
Hours: From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday
Pricing: Fall Festival tickets are $15; $5 for seniors; Age 2 and under: Free
Phone: 303-805-1038
Website: flatacresfarm.com

Anderson Farms

Address: 6728 County Road 3-1/4, Erie
Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 25 to Oct. 31
Attractions: Pumpkin patch rides, 25-acre corn maze, pedal karts, farm animals, roller slides, rainbow maze, Fort A-Lota-Fun, combine slide
Hours: Monday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Note: the farm's pumpkin patch closes at dusk)
Pricing: Fall Festival tickets are $12; Kids under 3 get in free.
Phone: 303-828-5210
Website: andersonfarms.com

Munson Farms

Address: 7355 Valmont Road, Boulder
Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 15 to Oct. 31
Attractions: Hay rides, corn maze
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Pricing: Free admission
Phone: 1-415-298-1500
Website: Munsonfarms.com

Cottonwood Farms Pumpkin Patch

Address: 10600 Isabelle Rd., Lafayette
Season opening/closing dates: Open every day from Sept. 26 to Oct. 31
Attractions: Corn and straw maze, wagon rides on weekends
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Pricing: $5 per person, kids under 5 and those over 65 get in free
Phone: 720-890-4766
Website: Cottonwoodfarms.com

7th Generation Farm

Address: 1536 Courtesy Road, Louisville
Season opening/closing dates: Oct. 1 to Oct. 31
Attractions: Hay Bale Maze, Big Bale Hay Mountain, farm animals, pumpkin painting, Tractor Hay Rides
Hours: Friday - 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Sunday through Thursday
Pricing: Free admission
Phone: 1-720-841-3836
Website: 7thgenerationfarm.com

Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Patch

Address: 9059 Ute Hwy/CO 66
Season opening/closing dates: Oct. 3 to Oct. 31
Attractions: Pony rides, Petting Zoo, Hay Maze, Animal Train Car Ride, Cornstalk Tunnel, Inflatable Obstacle Course, Dragon Roller Coaster, Tumble Bubbles, Paint a Pumpkin
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Pricing: Free admission; pay per activity
Phone: 303-684-0087
Website: www.rockymtnpumpkinranch.com.

Rock Creek Farm - As of late September, this farm had not yet decided whether to open their pumpkin patch amid COVID-19 - check the farm's website for updates.

The Bee Hugger

Address: 12590 Ute Hwy, Longmont
Season opening/closing dates: Oct. 5 to Oct. 31
Attractions: Hayride, Haunted VW Bug Yard, sunflower field, animal feeding, miniature horse rides (approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
Pricing: Free admission; some activities have a fee.
Phone: 303-330-8277
Website: The Bee Hugger Facebook page only

Southern Living says small, round sugar pumpkins, sometimes called pie or sweet pumpkins, are the best pumpkins for baking. The stem should be brown, but still firmly attached, and check for blemishes and bruising. And don’t get hung up on the color. As a pumpkin matures, its flesh dulls.

JoyFoodSunshine was our first stop on the spin around the internet in search of classic homemade pumpkin pie recipes. It requires an investment in time — a little over two hours — but blogger Laura says on her website the 10-ingredient recipe “is the only pumpkin pie recipe you’ll ever need” and that “literally everyone” who tries it falls in love with it.

“It’s a beautiful blend of creamy, spicy sweet flavors that encompass all that is wonderful about fall,” Laura says.

Everything about this pie is made from scratch, from the crust to the dollop of homemade whipped cream added after it’s been plated. Laura tells you everything you need to know, from the tools you’ll need to how to know when the pie is done.

Sheri B., whose from-scratch pumpkin pie recipe is featured on Food.com, says the roasted pumpkin can be puréed using a sieve, food mill, blender or food processor, but she likes to create the filling with a hand potato masher.

For some cooks, secret pumpkin pie ingredients make for an unforgettable dessert. New York City-based food and wine writer Mandy Naglich’s recipe on Taste Of Home calls for cracked black pepper.

“The best way to preserve the spiciness of pumpkin spice is with freshly cracked black pepper,” Naglich writes. “It adds a robust bite to the traditional spice mix, which comes across subtly in each mouthful of pumpkin pie.”

The pepper won’t make the pie “spicy,” but guests may ask where you got the super-fresh spices, she says.

“Food Hussy” Heather Johnson touts the secret ingredient in her mom’s pumpkin pie recipe. For years, Johnson’s mother refused to share the recipe, but eventually gave it up to her blogger daughter: It’s Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry, a dessert wine.

After you’ve gone to all the trouble of baking from-scratch pumpkin pie, you may decide using a can of pumpkin pie filling is easier. But it’s a coronavirus quarantine memory, and hopefully a pleasant one, that you’ll always have.