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.
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- Recently, the dogs and I rescued 4 giant pumpkins that were destined for the trash.
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- With Halloween and Thanksgiving over, a local restaurant was disposing of their holiday decor.
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- 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.
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- Chhiring helped unload these giants.
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- Then he threw one down in the chicken coop to break it.
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- I wanted to save the seeds to dry for planting and eating.
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- I was very surprised to see actual pumpkin seedlings growing inside the pumpkin!
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- Like the pumpkin, the seeds are quite large and I’m anxious to see how they grow next year.
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- Once the seeds were scooped out Chhiring dropped it again.
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- Why should he have all the fun?
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- We’ve been having frosty mornings at the farm. These are the rows of apple espaliers.
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- The frost was heavy beneath the nearly bared bald cypress.
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- A closeup of their frosty deciduous needles upon the still green grass
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- 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.
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- Chhewang and Purba busy at work while listening to the latest popular music of Nepal
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- 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.
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- My stable complex – I just love the stonework of this place!
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- The allee of linden – the long beds beneath all newly planted with 116,000 blue flowering spring bulbs
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- 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?
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- The Japanese maple grove is planted here, beneath these towering trees.
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- Acer palmatum ‘Sangu-Kaku’ – a Japanese maple with a very attractive bark
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- It’s becomes so brilliant in the cold weather.
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- The same area from a different vantage point
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- A horse has been walking here.
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- The chickens got a new pumpkin each day.
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- This Dawn Redwood, or Metasequoia, still retains some needles, which look great against the clear blue sky.
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- 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.
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- The paddock with the run in shed and hay feeders
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- A grove of newly planted evergreens with a hay field beyond
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- 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.
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- Look how many leaves remain on the beech trees.
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- This is the hoop house filled with tropical plants and surrounded with insulating bales of hay.
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- Many workers at the farm are Sherpas from Nepal.
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- This low area is a wetland and home to much wildlife.
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- Above the wetland is where the beehives are located.
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- The beehives are also surrounded with insulating hay bales. The fastigiate oaks still look beautiful.
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- Some honeybees are still busy outdoors.
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- My housekeeper, Laura Acuna, walks the dogs frequently.
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- The dogs outdoor water bowl is frozen.
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- With so many things turning brown with the approaching winter, this clump of moss in the woods remains a vivid green.
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- Chhiring gathering apples for the horses, donkeys, and chickens – There are still so many hanging on this leafless tree.
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- The little pond has a skin of ice.
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- The cattails in the wetlands have gone to seed.
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- And so has the goldenrod.
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- Shaun planned for 4 varieties per bed, arranged according to color and size.
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- We received 50 of each variety and they were planted in five beds in the cutting garden.
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- The cutting garden is located adjacent to the chicken coop and they seemed to enjoy the company.
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- Down in the cutting garden, Shaun and his crew are planting tulips.
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- Strings, stretched taut, make for straight rows.
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- 1000 tulip bulbs came from Brent & Becky’s Bulbs. http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/
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