Fall Harvest: Surprises in the Field

We're awash in pumpkins and squash! This year, our carefully tended pumpkin and squash patches produced some surprises along with the expected haul of beige butternuts, green Hubbards and  yellow Georgia Candyroasters. A gift of some heritage seeds added red and aqua Hubbards to the field. Some seeds that we saved from last year's squash harvest must have been those of a hybrid cross. They grew into the oddest striped irregular orb in the field.

There was a surprise in the pumpkin patch as well. GIANT pumpkins. The kind that people grow for competition. (Who planted those seeds, and where did they come from!?) These were pumpkins that we had to roll out of the field and up ramp boards into the truck to then roll off of the truck to the roadside stand. Ron had to post a "Call this phone number for help in loading" sign on the stand. Liz had personalized some of both giant and "normal" pumpkins by scratching names and motivational words into the immature fruits. As they grew and matured, the scratches became scars, and the resulting personalized pumpkins became unique and charming fall decoration fodder.