Pumpkin Pancakes and Apple Picking in Granville, New York

Katie, Bill, and the boys invited me to join them for a trip to Granville today for a late breakfast and then apple picking.  For breakfast, we landed at Rathbun's Maple Sugar House in North Granville.  We were actually there at lunch time, and the last table to be seated before they closed at 1 p.m.  It's a beautiful spot in the gorgeous hills of eastern New York, just west of the Vermont border.  Katie and I ordered pumpkin pancakes and sausage patties.  Bill ordered french toast made from thick slices of home-made bread, and Henry and Peter each had a chocolate chip pancake.  The pumpkin pancakes were light as air, fluffy, and drizzled with Rathbun's own maple syrup, produced on premises.  I took a photo of Henry and Peter as we arrived at Rathbun's.

After breakfast, we drove a few miles to Hick's Orchard, which has become our favorite annual place for picking apples.  It's a bit of a drive, and on a sunny day it's even more enjoyable, but today the skies opened up as we walked deep into the orchard to find the Honey Crisps, and we got wet!  Henry was prepared with his Spiderman umbrella, but the rest of us were not. We never picked apples so fast!  Of course, by the time we got back to the car, it stopped raining, but started up again when Henry and I were in line waiting to buy apple cider donuts from the take-out window at the orchard's shop!  The rain also meant no bounce house today, which was a bit disappointing for the little guys.  Hopefully, next year we'll visit on a day when the rain doesn't!

Inspired by my lunch-time breakfast in the beautiful mountains of Granville, here's a recipe for pumpkin pancakes from The Saturday Evening Post on-line.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES
from The Saturday Evening Post on-line
(Makes about 10 pancakes)

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 large egg
Directions:

Whisk dry ingredients together in medium bowl. In another medium bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix well. Whisk the wet ingredients into dry mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Using ladle or 1/3 measuring cup, pour batter onto hot griddle or pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles form. Flip and cook other side for 1-2 minutes.

Pancake photo and recipe courtesy of The Saturday Evening Post:  http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2009/09/12/health-and-family/food-recipes/pumpkin-pancakes.html