Pumpkin Picking

In spite of a small back ache and freezing fingers, my experience on the farm thus far has certainly been positive. I am really enjoying myself, especially since I have never done something remotely close to farming before. This past week we cut various types of squash as well as pumpkins as a precaution for the frost that was supposed to come this past weekend. We learned that there were certain ways to cut the squash and pumpkins and some required us to cut them so that there is a large amount of the stem remaining (such as for the pumpkins and grey [hubbard] squash), but for others we were supposed to cut close to the squash itself leaving very little stem remaining so the squash would not cut into one another when placed together in a bunch. As I was cutting the pumpkins, it brought me back to my childhood. I really love the Fall and the beautiful scenery as leaves change and the air becomes crisp. When I was in preschool, we had a field trip to a local farm in New Jersey where we would go pumpkin picking and go on a hay ride. I have to say, this certainly was one of my favorite field trips and as a four year old, I was thrilled to go get pumpkins and bring them home, especially with Halloween approaching. Riding in the wagon pulled by horses was invigorating as a four year old. When it came to selecting the pumpkin I would take home with me, I looked for a nice bright orange, relatively large pumpkin that did in fact have a long stem (as I have learned people prefer when buying a pumpkin). I suppose looking back to my experience on the farm as a child, I really did not know how much went into the process of cutting these vegetables from the ground. There is a complex process that involves a particular/specific method in terms of obtaining these vegetables. I was surely unaware of and underestimated the effort that goes into preparing these vegetables to be sold or given to the public. Some stems were sturdier and harder to cut and some were brittle and easy to cut. Many varied in terms of shape and size and Asher told us there were certain species of squash, which he jokingly said he would quiz us on next time we come. The butternut squash was in the same family as pumpkins and there’s a maxima, pepo, moschata, and mixta species. Finally, we were able to take two delicata squashes each home with us afterwards.

-Below, I included a picture of me on my field trip in preschool. I was so happy to be there and loved picking a pumpkin to bring home. You can see the hay on in the back on the wagon and my coat to match the pumpkins and fall season.