As fall takes its place, at first I bemoan the end of a summer that wasn't long enough, but then I start to remember it's also a beginning to a season of holidays and their traditions. I grew up in a family with few traditions, so I've enjoyed the process of creating my own, and pumpkin picking in October has become one of them. My favorite place is Gordon's Pumpkins in Mt. Vernon. They don't offer many frills (in terms of activities) outside the pumpkins themselves, but the array of color supplies plenty of "eye candy". When I was little, I only knew of one pumpkin - the standard perfectly round and bright orange one somewhere around 20 pounds. Gordon's fields have squashes, pumpkins, and gourds ranging from the size of an egg to more than half my weight, and orange is just one color in the spectrum of reds, greens, and yellows. I was so taken that I couldn't make choices and we left with almost 200 pounds of pumpkins! For cooking, of course there is the variety found in the can, but if you want to make it from what you've picked, the smaller pumpkins tend to have a sweeter flavor than the larger ones, which tend to be more watery. And if you want to grow your own, you can save the seeds, dry them out, store them in a plastic bag until planting in May.

Places to go:

• Gordon's Pumpkins 1360 McClean Road, Mt. Vernon, 360-424-7262, open daily 9am - 6pm
• Jubilee Farms Carnation, 425-222-4558, open daily from 12 - 6pm
• Craven Farm 13817 Short School Road, Snohomish, 360-568-2601, this is a good place to go with kids, pumpkins limited to sugar pie variety.

Pumpkin Soup in a Baby Pumpkin

3 pounds pumpkin or squash
6 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cups sherry
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 baby pumpkins

On medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and sauté onions for about 4 minutes. Deglaze with sherry and reduce by half. Add chicken stock and pumpkin. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Pass through a food mill, or puree in a food processor or blender. Return to pot and add cream, remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, and season to taste. Ladle into blanched baby pumpkins and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.