Fall is in the air. When you start picking squash and pumpkins you know the weather will be turning cooler soon.  In the field these days we are busy harvesting many fall items along with peppers and all of our specialty peppers.  Fall is my most favorite time of year.  The cooler temperatures make it easier for the crew harvesting, but the shorter days make it a time cruncher on getting everything out of the field.  Winter squash is one of my favorite dishes to eat and also one of the most enjoyable to harvest.  The eight different varieties that we grow all are ready to eat.  Some store better than others and depending on the growing conditions during the course of the year dictate on how long a squash can be stored.  Best temperatures for storing winter squash is 45 degrees with constant air movement moving around the product.  Acorn will store the best, spaghetti the worse.  Don’t leave a winter squash laying on your counter at room temperature… it won’t last long.

Pumpkin crop looks pretty good. Sizing is better than I expected and the coloring is near perfect.  The farthest we ship pumpkins in the past years has been to Boston, MA. I do not anticipate that to happen this year because the pumpkin crop nationwide is fairly decent.  If anyone on the news says there is a pumpkin shortage they are dead wrong, coming from a grower of 5 generations.  Talk to you next month… hopefully we won’t have any white stuff on the ground!