Bite Club: It’s the season for pumpkin madness

Oh My Gourd: I t's pumpkin spice season again, and this year there are an estimated 50,000-plus items hitting the shelves.

Bigger and better than ever sales of these fall-flavored items have risen 11.6 percent, with sales of $361 over the last year, according to Nielsen. We blame the ever-popular PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) introduced by Starbucks a decade ago for the craze we just can’t escape.

Ironically, actual pumpkin sales have dropped, and many (if not most) of the pumpkin-flavored items you can buy contain (gasp!) no pumpkin.

Some of the weirdest, most interesting and delicious pumpkin-spice flavors we’ve found?

Pumpkin Flavored Pumpkin Seeds, Trader Joe’s: The most meta pumpkin item ever?

Pumpkin Pie Mochi, Trader Joe’s: Rice flour covered ice cream.

Ace Hard Pumpkin Cider: Liquid pumpkin, yum!

Anderson Valley Fall Hornin Pumpkin Ale: Brewed with pumpkin and spices

Pumpkin Truffles (Recherche du Plaisir, 3401 Cleveland Ave., #9, Santa Rosa)

Pumpkin Spice Cream Oreos: No pumpkins harmed in making these

Pumpkin Bark: Milk chocolate in pumpkin bark (Cost Plus, 2685 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa)

Most of these items are available at local grocers including Oliver’s, Lucky’s, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Safeway, unless otherwise specified.

Not real, but making the internet rounds: Pumpkin-spice Doritos, Listerine and condoms. Ever wonder what spices comprise pumpkin spice? They’re the usual suspects in pumpkin pie: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.

See more PS deliciousness online at BiteClubEats.com.

Drinking the Harvest: Once you’ve eaten all the heirloom tomatoes, zucchini and corn you can possibly stuff down, it’s time for the drinkable harvest.

This year’s Harvest Fair at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds (Oct 2-4) will feature not only award-winning local wines, but also include more than a dozen craft brew and cider makers.

We’re especially stoked for the cider, after tasting some of the great hard ciders coming out of the region.

Check out the Grand Tasting Pavilion (5-8 p.m. Friday, 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) for sips of Ace Cider Co., Specific Gravity and Foxcraft Ciders, along with brews from 101 North, Henhouse Brewing, Fogbelt, Old Redwood and St. Florian. Tickets for the Grand Tasting Pavilion, $55, harvestfair.org.

While you’re there, take part in the World Wrap Competition, where contestants pair up with local chefs to come up with tantalizing tortilla dishes. Free admission with four non-perishable food items for the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

Regular admission, $5, kids under 12 free. Includes audience participation in the World Wrapped Cooking Competition, Chef Demonstrations, Wine Tasting Seminars, the World Championship Grape Stomp, Harvest Fair Marketplace and other grounds activities. Parking is $7-10.

Cochon Volant taking over Hot Box Grill: Sonoma caterer and BBQ master Rob Larman will open a brick and mortar restaurant and catering kitchen off Highway 12 this fall.

“Ladies and gentleman... Cochon Volant BBQ is proud to announce we will be opening up shop,” said Larmann on his Facebook page.

The former owner of Sonoma’s La Poste French bistro and Rob’s Rib Shack has been honing his ’que skills for the last few years out of a mobile rig he takes to fairs, festivals and private events. More details as they emerge.

Helping Hands: Last week, I wrote about Chef Andy Wild and his kitchen crew at the Calistoga Fairgrounds. The local caterer spent days helping to coordinate meal operations for more than 1,000 displaced residents of the Valley fire.

I heard from several folks who mentioned a number of other local folks who lent a hand with food service, and felt deserved a mention.

Among them, the Calistoga Athletic Boosters, a self-described group of local blue-collar volunteers who, according to one BiteClub reader, “cranked out three hot meals a day with some of the hardcore group working from 5:30 a.m. till 11 p.m.

Booster Directors Ellie and Mark Galindo along with Jim Yant, Troy Alvarado, and many other volunteers worked from early morning till late at night.”

Also noted was Chef Jon Coss of All Seasons and the SRJC men’s soccer team for their help. We can never individually recognize the thousands of amazing individuals and businesses who have gone above and beyond to assist their neighbors and friends in Lake County. So consider this my personal thank you.

Still hungry? Check out Heather’s always-updated food and dining blog at BiteClubEats.com.