Smashing Pumpkins is Fun!
Recently, I was dining in a local restaurant near my farm, and I noticed that they had several giant pumpkins on display for their Halloween and Thanksgiving décor. I was curious what would become of those large gourds once the holidays were over and I was told that they would be disposed of. I asked the management to give me a call before throwing them away, as I had much better plans in mind. Happily, I did receive their call and the dogs and I went to retrieve them. Here’s a little blog on what became of the pumpkins and some more updates from the farm.
- Recently, the dogs and I rescued 4 giant pumpkins that were destined for the trash.
- With Halloween and Thanksgiving over, a local restaurant was disposing of their holiday decor.
- I was happy with this find because my chickens love eating such healthy food. Pumpkins are loaded with beta-carotene, which makes for rich yellow yolks.
- Chhiring helped unload these giants.
- Then he threw one down in the chicken coop to break it.
- I wanted to save the seeds to dry for planting and eating.
- I was very surprised to see actual pumpkin seedlings growing inside the pumpkin!
- Like the pumpkin, the seeds are quite large and I’m anxious to see how they grow next year.
- Once the seeds were scooped out Chhiring dropped it again.
- Why should he have all the fun?
- We’ve been having frosty mornings at the farm. These are the rows of apple espaliers.
- The frost was heavy beneath the nearly bared bald cypress.
- A closeup of their frosty deciduous needles upon the still green grass
- Bamboo framing for burlap coverings is being assembled all around the farm. Soon the boxwood allee leading to the stables will be tucked away for the winter.
- Chhewang and Purba busy at work while listening to the latest popular music of Nepal
- The donkeys clipped the grass low in their temporary paddock, so they’ve been moved back into this one after giving it a much-needed rejuvenating rest.
- My stable complex – I just love the stonework of this place!
- The allee of linden – the long beds beneath all newly planted with 116,000 blue flowering spring bulbs
- The daffodil border – I don’t know what got into this group of bulbs. Why are they growing now, just as winter is setting in?
- The Japanese maple grove is planted here, beneath these towering trees.
- Acer palmatum ‘Sangu-Kaku’ – a Japanese maple with a very attractive bark
- It’s becomes so brilliant in the cold weather.
- The same area from a different vantage point
- A horse has been walking here.
- The chickens got a new pumpkin each day.
- This Dawn Redwood, or Metasequoia, still retains some needles, which look great against the clear blue sky.
- As does this grove of white pine. The building beyond is referred to as The Maple Avenue House, which is used for TV and photo shoots.
- The paddock with the run in shed and hay feeders
- A grove of newly planted evergreens with a hay field beyond
- This sycamore, with its mottled bark, was just one of many trees damaged in last summer’s tornado. Its top branches have been pruned down.
- Look how many leaves remain on the beech trees.
- This is the hoop house filled with tropical plants and surrounded with insulating bales of hay.
- Many workers at the farm are Sherpas from Nepal.
- This low area is a wetland and home to much wildlife.
- Above the wetland is where the beehives are located.
- The beehives are also surrounded with insulating hay bales. The fastigiate oaks still look beautiful.
- Some honeybees are still busy outdoors.
- My housekeeper, Laura Acuna, walks the dogs frequently.
- The dogs outdoor water bowl is frozen.
- With so many things turning brown with the approaching winter, this clump of moss in the woods remains a vivid green.
- Chhiring gathering apples for the horses, donkeys, and chickens – There are still so many hanging on this leafless tree.
- The little pond has a skin of ice.
- The cattails in the wetlands have gone to seed.
- And so has the goldenrod.
- Shaun planned for 4 varieties per bed, arranged according to color and size.
- We received 50 of each variety and they were planted in five beds in the cutting garden.
- The cutting garden is located adjacent to the chicken coop and they seemed to enjoy the company.
- Down in the cutting garden, Shaun and his crew are planting tulips.
- Strings, stretched taut, make for straight rows.
- 1000 tulip bulbs came from Brent & Becky’s Bulbs. http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/