Half Moon Bay Community Groups
Get Creative with Coastside Crops
Annual Pilgrimage to Pumpkin Festival for Unique Culinary Creations
NOTE: Content below is from 2009 event. Check back 3-4 weeks before the event for updated information.
When the muted gray-green hills and fields around Half Moon Bay come alive with swaths of brilliant orange pumpkins, it’s a reminder of the Coastside’s rich agricultural heritage . . . and of the upcoming Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival. This year’s 40th annual event, held October 16-17, will celebrate the local agricultural bounty with community organizations offering a plenitude of pumpkin delights, as well as tributes to the local harvests of artichokes, Brussels sprouts and seafood.
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Roasted corn
Grilled sausages
Mimosas
Festival volunteers
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For those who get up at the crack of dawn from the sheer anticipation of it all, the high school basketball team will be ready at Mac Dutra Park at 7 a.m. with plump pumpkin pancakes, sausages, fresh orange juice and coffee. Those with enough willpower to wait till the festival opens at 9:00 can make a breakfast of “Grandma’s” sweet-‘n’-spicy pumpkin bread or sticky buns from the American Association of University Women.
More pumpkin-y baked goods can be found at the 4-H Club booth, where pumpkin cake meets cream cheese filling in the club’s famous pumpkin rolls. Traditionalists who believe pumpkin belongs in pie will have a choice between the melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin pie from the Beautification Committee and the fluffy pumpkin cheesecake from the San Mateo County Sheriff Explorers.
Coastsiders have also come up with a multitude of ways to incorporate pumpkin into finger-licking, no-fork-required treats. The Half Moon Bay Vaulters invented the pumpkin-caramel apple. The Coastside Land Trust cooked up a recipe for giant pumpkin cookies with raisins, chocolate chips and almonds. A pumpkin dipping sauce for soft pretzels was created by the Senior Coastsiders. And the Episcopal Church always comes through with tried-and-true pumpkin ice cream.
The Knights of Columbus have developed a loyal following with their recipes for two other famous local crops—artichokes and Brussels sprouts. They slowly cook artichoke hearts in olive oil with garlic and Italian herbs till they’re tender and intensely flavored. And they’ve turned many festivalgoers into Brussels sprouts lovers by simmering the tiny cabbage cousins in an herbed marinara sauce.
Barbecue
Corn roasting on the grill |
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Several organizations honor the Coastside’s seafood bounty. The Half Moon Bay Yacht Club offers fried calamari that delivers just enough spice. Clams are the stars of the Rotary Club booth, where a rich chowder is served in sourdough bowls. And the Half Moon Bay Fire Volunteers specialize in succulent shrimp cocktails.
People in a meaty mood will have plenty of choices as well. Thin-sliced warm beef gets layered into a soft roll by the IDES Society, while the Methodist Church stuffs hoagies with grilled turkey and offers meal-sized turkey drumsticks marinated in soy–red wine sauce.
Grills will be sizzling throughout the day with Polish sausages and hot dogs from the American Legion; burgers and corn from the Lions Club; Portuguese linguisa, jumbo dogs, Italian sausages and chicken-pumpkin sausages from the Beautification Committee; and sausages awaiting a topping of marinara sauce from the Coastside Adult Day Health Center.
Kids go nuts over the Mariner’s Church Coastside version of macaroni and cheese—flavored with pumpkin pie spices and topped with pumpkin seeds. And kids will be raising their own money with corn dogs from the Girls Softball Club, French fries from the Boy Scouts’ and fresh popcorn from Seacrest School.
Two booths will satisfy cravings for Mexican food. The Cougar Boosters will have traditional chicken and beef tamales, and the Coastside Lutheran Church will offer nachos smothered with cheese and spiced up with jalapeños.
The beer and wine selections will have a distinctly local flavor. Honoring this year’s 40th annual Art & Pumpkin Festival is Half Moon Bay Winery’s limited-release Sangiovese. This handcrafted, small lot production wine has wonderful wild black cherry and licorice flavors with notes from red fruits. This artisan wine comes from premium Sangiovese grapes grown in the Redwood Valley area of Mendocino County and pairs perfectly with fowl and red meat. The Sangiovese comes with a commemorative 40th anniversary festival label. It will be available by the bottle and by the glass.
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company will offer its Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale #4, brewed with a blend of pale and crystal malts, and flavored delicately with pumpkin pulp. Sam Adams Oktoberfest, Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, Pilsner Urquell, Coors and Coors Light will also be on tap. |
