If you think about the fall season there are probably a million things that come to mind.
Halloween, apple picking, scary movies, Thanksgiving. Football, bonfires, s’mores, leaf-peeping.
And pumpkins? Well, pumpkins may trump them all.
From pumpkin pie to pumpkin spice coffee, porches filled with jack-o’-lanterns and annual screenings of ‘‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,’’ pumpkins are everywhere during the fall months.
In fact, pumpkin spice season starts in August.
As Dolce Bakery and Coffee Shop co-owner Stephenie Tatman put it, “Pumpkin seems like the unofficial mascot for fall.”
When pumpkin spice pops back up on the menu it feels like there’s an immediate chill in the air, even if it’s still 85 degrees out. Cardigans come out, football season is right around the corner.
“We think it’s the nostalgia of memories made in past fall seasons that makes pumpkin and even apples so well loved,” Tatman said. “From football games and tailgate parties to apple picking and pumpkin carving, there’s never a pumpkin bar, apple dumpling or pumpkin spiced latte far away from those memories,” Tatman says.
At Dolce in Milford, you can expect their famous pumpkin bars to debut in October as they do every year.Until then, they will be using another fall favorite, apples, to hold customers over until they roll out those fall favorites.
“We bake from scratch and support local farmers when possible, both of which allow us to highlight the natural goodness of the pumpkins or whatever product we’re baking with,” she said. “We also try to have a healthy mix of loved favorites and new products. We also aren’t afraid to pave our own path and I think that’s refreshing to some.”
That means not giving into the pumpkin spice peer pressure that has the flavor hitting Dunkin’ and Starbucks before beach season is over.
“When the store shelves and national chains start advertising everything pumpkin before September, we’re focusing on all things apple. … We debut our signature pumpkin bars and other pumpkin treats in October and have a hard time keeping them stocked through the season,” Tatman explains.
Whether you are looking for beer, pie, ice cream or coffee, we have the intel for you. Here are some places to satisfy your pumpkin cravings in and near Delaware:
Back Burner Restaurant and Tavern, Hockessin
If there’s one thing more than anything else, it’s pumpkin soup.
At Back Burner, their famous pumpkin mushroom soup is made with “crimini mushrooms, roasted pumpkin, creme fraiche and croutons.”
Pumpkin mushroom soup is also available to go, so you can enjoy this taste of fall in the comfort of your own home.
Back Burner is open Monday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Back Burner Restaurant and Tavern, 425 Hockessin Corner, Hockessin, (302) 239-2314, backburner.com
Brew Ha Ha! Multiple locations
Coffee may be a year-round treat, but nothing beats coffee in the fall, whether you like it iced or steaming.
At Brew Ha Ha! locations, you have the obvious option of a pumpkin spice latte, but they take a step further with a Pumpkin Patch Latte and a Harvest Moon Latte.
A Pumpkin Patch Latte is pumpkin spice with white mocha and whipped cream, while a Harvest Moon Latte ispumpkin spice, caramel, white mocha and whipped cream.
Brew Ha Ha! also offers several pumpkin-flavored desserts including pumpkin scones, muffins, loaf breads and pumpkin-white chocolate cookies.
If you’re trying to get into the fall spirit before fall officially starts, Brew Ha Ha! is the place to go.
Brew HaHa! can be found in Christiana Hospital, on Concord Pike, on Delaware Avenue and in Trolley Square in Wilmington, in Greenville, in Newark, in North Wilmington and in Pike Creek. brewhaha.com/#home
Dolce Bakery and Coffee Shop, Milford
If you’ve ever wanted to be the main character in a rom-com, autumn in a cozy coffee shop is as great a setting as we can conceive for you, as you sip on that pumpkin spice latte and read your favorite book.
At Dolce Bakery and Coffee Shop, they offer “pumpkin spice everything from lattes to frappuccinos.”
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They are also well-known for their pumpkin bars, made from scratch.
Dolce Bakery and Coffee Shop, 36 N. Walnut St., Milford, (302) 422-5760, dolcebakery.com/home-1.html
Evangelina’s, Newark
During the fall and winter, it can be so easy to fall back into the habit of unhealthy eating. There are so many reasons for parties and gatherings during this time that big meals and yummy desserts are constantly around.
Not to worry, at Evangelina’s in Newark you can have the same desserts without the dairy or other animal products.
Evangelina’s is a vegan dessert shop specializing in desserts like cakes, cupcakes, brownies and more. This shop is more than ready for the fall with pumpkin pie and pumpkin pie cupcakes. Pumpkin pie cupcakes come with pumpkin spice or chocolate icing. Or go for the pumpkin-chocolate chip bread.
Offered only in October is the Pumpkin Face! cookie, a pumpkin cookie with pumpkin butter filling.
Orders can be made online on the official webpage.
Evangelina’s is open Tuesday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are closed Sunday and Monday.
Evangelina’s Vegan Desserts, 280 E. Main St., Suite 110, Newark, (302) 729-4327,evangelinas.com
Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant, Newark
At Iron Hill Brewery, you can kick fall off right with pumpkin craft beers.
Iron Hill offers Pumpkin Ale, a pumpkin/yam beer (5.5 % ABV, 30 IBU) brewed with “traditional pumpkin pie spices.” The brewery also offers the Royale Gourd, a much stronger pumpkin/yam beer (10.5% ABV, 25 IBU) made with molasses and Belgian candy sugar.
Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant is open Sunday to Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
In Delaware, Iron Hill has restaurants in downtown Newark, at the Wilmington Riverfront and in Rehoboth Beach. ironhillbrewery.com/
The Coffee Mill, Rehoboth Beach
Just because fall is fast approaching doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the beach. In fact, fallat the beach is arguably the best time to be there. It’s not as crowded, and most places are still open.
What could make your fall beach day a little bit better? Coffee, of course.
At The Coffee Mill, you can get a Pumpkin Pie Coffee or you can order their roasted beans online to make your kitchen smell like pie at home.
The Coffee Mill is open Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Coffee Mill, 127 Rehoboth Ave. B., Rehoboth Beach, (302) 227-7530,coffeemillrehoboth.com
Twisted Irons Craft Brewing Co., Newark
Twisted Irons Craft Brewing Co. is coming in hot with the fall flavors and the creative names. With beer on their tasting room menu like Never Gonna Give You Up, I’m a Little Teacup Short and Stout, and the Bitter End, you have to imagine their fall flavors would be just as creatively named.
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That assumption would be correct. Sex and Candy Corn is a pumpkin ale (6.5% ABV, 25 IBU) topped with favorite fall spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.
Twisted Irons is open Wednesday to Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m., Friday from 3 to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.
Twisted Irons Craft Brewing Co, 303 Ruthar Drive, Suites E & F, Newark, (302) 294-1056,twistedironsbrewery.com
Woodside Farm Creamery, Hockessin
Some of us, myself included, are stuck in the never-ending cycle of wanting fall to start but not wanting summer to end.
The freedom of summer vs. the coziness of fall is a hard-fought battle. Don’t you wish there was something that was somehow a combination of the best things of fall and summer?
Look no further than Woodside Farm Creamery, where they have a vanilla and pumpkin ice cream pie. Not to mention this pie sits in a golden graham cracker crust.
As one season gives way to the next, what could be more delicious than that?
Woodside Farm Creamery is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily. Woodside Farm Creamery, 1310 Little Baltimore Road, Hockessin, (302) 239-9847, woodsidefarmcreamery.com
