🎃🍎 Pumpplefest 🎃🍎
(Pumpkin + Apple Fest): An annual potluck party
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12 years ago I was a teacher living in New York City, missing so much about the Midwest, it hurt. I was teaching an hour away from my apartment, going to grad school two nights a week, dating for the first time, going to dinners, drinking lots of wine, traveling with new friends, and it felt so uncomfortable and new. Because it was. Prior to that I had lived my entire life in Minnesota and thanks for a teacher prep program, found myself in a city I had yearned to live in for much of my adolescence.
Everything about the East Coast felt so different, so opposite, so fast paced, so curt, so new. I was 22 when I flew out with two suitcases full of everything I thought I needed for my adult life. I did the prep program, couch hopped for a few weeks between living situations, and found my roommates on Craigslist. People yelled a lot and I got lost on the subway. It was all so different from the quiet rural/suburban life of my childhood, and the quiet city life I experienced in college.
I felt so out of place, and missed my friends and community I had cultivated so intentionally when I was in college. We had spent so many nights and long lunches discussing deep matters of the heart, systemic problems with our college and the world, talking about power and privilege, watching music videos, and having themed parties at homes we rented. These were people with whom I had shared so much and grew so much.
In the big city, I was whipped into an unfamiliar place without family or established community. I was lucky that my roommates became fast friends and I was immediately welcomed in by all of their friends. Plus one of my closest friends from college moved to New York City for grad school so he was just a bus and subway ride away. I had built in friends from the teacher prep program and from grad school, and I made a great friend when I went to a Lutheran church searching for familiarity in this new chapter of my life. I built a community of people I could do nearly anything with, and was lucky to have lots of friends come visit.
Still, I missed hosting with talking late into the night or dancing in the kitchen. I explained potlucks to my friends out East and they almost all responded with, “Oh those things in church basements?” Exactly. Except in the Midwest, it’s very normal for potlucks to happen at work, for barbecues, at birthday parties, and study sessions alike. It was fall in New York, and I wanted to host a party that celebrated the flavors of the season: pumpkin and apple, and Pummplefest was born.
In the early years of Pumpplefest, when I was in my early to mid 20s, the event was in the evenings, with friends bringing pumpkin beer and hard cider to accompany a pumpkin bread and apple pie I made. I spent hours curating a playlist that began with “chill autumnal vibes” and morphed into pop music for dancing and singing. We crammed 20? 30? people into our small apartment those first years, and when I moved back to the Midwest I’ve hosted in a duplex, a spacious apartment, a cramped 500 square foot apartment, and now at our home.
Every year of Pumpplefest has a sort of sacredness and little mysticism. There isn’t a sign-up for food or drinks, and yet, there has rarely been a repeat food item. Everything always works out at Pumpplefest food and drinks-wise. People leave full and happy. Sometimes they leave with new connections or recipes, and plans for future gatherings. For me, it’s a marking of the changing of the seasons into the dark months - my happiest time. It’s the pre-party before the holiday season, and the hustle and bustle, where you can just sit and relax with a sparkling apple cider and a bowl of pumpkin soup with fried onions and an apple barbecue sauced rib.
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What began as an evening filled with two baked goods, alcohol, and dancing has become a quiet afternoon spent chatting and eating in our dining room and on the back patio followed by karaoke in the basement or a fire. At the 12th Pumpplefest yesterday we had kids running around with chalk and balls in hand, more N/A drink options, and food made with lots of intentionality, time, and care. I am so grateful for this tradition borne out of a desire to have my favorite people in one place during a transition season.
The same as always, Pumpplefest is a time for my loved ones to bask in each other’s company, trade stories and laughs, and eat and drink autumnal themed foods and beverages.
Things I Like
I’m really into food trinket dishes and catch-alls lately (predictable, I know)
I learned about a micro wardrobe today and it is SPEAKING to me! It has 3 shirts, 2 bottoms, 2 pairs of shoes, and 2 accessories. I think this would be so cool to try for a week of work or when traveling!
Face Timing with my sister-in-law and niece
Learned about this artist this week and I’m obsessed with their work
May your week be gentle and may you eat well. 🌲🥣