The biggest baking days of my year begin in the most prosaic way possible: with paper and a calculator.
How many pumpkin pies? How many “best-ever apple?” How many cups of sweet potato puree, brown sugar, and heavy cream do I need? How many pounds of apples, tablespoons full of molasses, trays of eggs? How much butter and leaf lard for my dough?
Off to the markets I go!