Grow them, heat them, sweeten them, eat them (9 photos)

All things pertaining to pumpkins were celebrated this weekend in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Third Annual Pumpkin Festival began Friday with activities at the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site, in which giant pumpkins were picked and visitors shown how to harvest and save pumpkin seeds.

The festival continued Saturday at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion with the pumpkin weigh off in the early afternoon, preceded by a morning of sampling pumpkin appetizers and desserts from five Sault restaurants.

Pumpkins and other good, fresh products from the Algoma Farmers Market were available for sale.

The Sault Ste. Marie Public Library organized the festival in cooperation with the Algoma Farmers Market, the Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Association and the City of Sault Ste. Marie.

"Every year we've expanded a little more, we partnered with the Algoma Farmers Market the first year, the second year we brought in the restaurants that wanted to participate, and the Downtown Association is here this year," said Kevin Meraglia, a library archive technician, speaking to SooToday.

"The first year we had 45 people show up for the weigh off, then we brought the restaurants in the second year (and the numbers have increased in years two and three)."

Tickets for taste sampling were five dollars, with the money going to the participating restaurants for their time and effort.

Participating restaurants were Uncle Gino's Cafe, Cafe Natura, Embers, Shabby Motley and Cocina Del Diablo.

There were two prizes of $250 of produce to the restaurants from the Algoma Farmers Market, one for best appetizer and the other for best dessert, as well as gift cards from Pino's, Shaw Milling and New North Greenhouses for first, second and third place finishers in the pumpkin weigh off.

Prize winner information was not immediately available.

"I look at this (festival) as a way to engage the local farmers market and the local economy, how to teach people how to grow their own food, which is an excellent skill to have, and is an enjoyable thing," Meraglia said.

Culinary treats included pumpkin cinnamon buns with maple cream cheese icing from Cafe Natura, a pumpkin spice latte with whipped cream and pumpkin biscotti drizzled with chocolate from Shabby Motley, pumpkin cake with German butter cream and pumpkin with pulled pork from Embers, spicy pumpkin empanada from Cocina Del Diablo and pumpkin arancini and deep fried pumpkin pie from Uncle Gino's Cafe.

(PHOTO: Katie Boston of Uncle Gino's Cafe with pumpkin arancini, Third Annual Pumpkin Festival, Roberta Bondar Pavilion, October 3, 2015. Darren Taylor/SooToday)