Seasonal Produce Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

Taken in the past week.

Lots of different types of pumpkins.

You will never lack for a pumpkin if you live in this part of New York State.

Large gourds.  To me, they resemble a flock of long necked birds at rest.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for her #ShadowshotSunday.

Sure Signs of Fall

The calendar may say August 31 but the world around me is saying Fall is on its way.

Let's check it out.

Purple loosestrife is invasive but pretty.  The bees were loving this patch so I didn't get too close.

The turtleheads in my back yard are blooming.  I bought these years ago at a farmer's market in Asheville, North Carolina. 

My reblooming yellow day lily does what it does as fall draws near - reblooms.

The pumpkins have arrived. (Not shown: all the Halloween decorations in the stores.)

Ornamental corn and a pumpkin clock. 

Orange jewelweed.

Yellow jewelweed.

Japanese knotweed is in full bloom.  This is one of the worst invasive weeds there is in this part of the United States. Its strong roots can destroy foundations and sewer lines.  Ironically, it was brought here as a landscape plant in the 1800's.   But, on the other hand, bees love it (and make a delicious honey from it, which I've had).

Otsiningo park scene with reflections of Japanese knotweed. It is beautiful.

Today, I ponder the last day of August.  Where has the summer gone?

Any day now, the wild asters will be in bloom, and fall will be official.

Until that day, I still say it's summer.

Is It Time Yet? #WordlessWednesday

Seen, on Sunday, at a farm market.

As far as I'm concerned, NO.  Summer still has about six weeks to go - weeks hopefully filled with fresh veggies, cantaloupes, watermelons, plums, peaches....

I just am not ready for pumpkins and winter squash yet.  Or pumpkin spice.  Or pumpkin anything.  Or even Halloween accessories.

What about you?  

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Fall Transitions

You may not know it from the calendar, but, according to the farm stands, fall has arrived.  Our local markets still have summer fruits and veggies for sale, but yesterday I saw some big displays of winter squash.  Also, colored dried corn has joined the fresh butter and sugar sweet corn.

Let's spend the last day of August preparing for the fall transition.

Next week, the temperatures will be close to 90F (32.2C) but fall is on its way.

Pumpkins and gourds to get us in the fall mood. 

Warts on pumpkins are desirable.

More warts.

One more before we move onto something else.

A blend of fall (the flint corn on the top row) and summer sweet corn.  Butter and sugar (white and yellow kernels) is the favorite corn in this area.

I'm always dragged kicking and screaming into fall, as much as I enjoy it once the reality sinks in.  

But tomorrow is September, and I have to face the fact that fall is almost here.

What is your favorite season?

The Season of Winter Squashes

Visit any farmstand in New York State right now, and you'll see the winter squashes have arrived.

We have a garden, but winter squash doesn't seem to do well.  Right now we have one butternut squash plant going, with the grand total of one squash (still immature) on it.  I admit we weren't even going to grow them this year but we received several free starts late in the planting season. I talked spouse into growing them because they would otherwise have been thrown out.  One survived.

But, for those who have farmstands in the vicinity, the selection is amazing.

Blue hubbard, a variety that's tough to prepare (it must be a member of the black walnut family) but worth the effort.  Pro tip:  try to find it cut up, as these can run big and heavy.  For the two of us, we don't bother.

Pumpkins.  Check out these colors.  They aren't just for carving.

Orange with warts. Striped.

Orange. Yellow.

White.

I've already blogged more than once about Honeynut squashes, a squash I suspect may not make it out of the New York area.

There are striped winter squashes such as Delicata, squashes with similar names but way different personalities (butternut and buttercup - don't confuse them).

These squashes, along with apples, are the kings and queens of fall.

Enjoy.

Scarecrows at the Park

Each October, at Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, New York, there has been an annual Scarecrow Contest and Display for the last five or so years.

This year, it's an opportunity for people to get out and enjoy a safe outdoor activity.

 

Here are several of the entries.   This one is from the Ross Park Zoo (Binghamton), the fifth oldest zoo in the United States.  It opened in 1875.  Ross Park itself has an interesting history - if you remember a post about a children's reading garden, this is also located in Ross Park.

Then there is Animal Adventure Park about 20 minutes outside of Binghamton, home of April the Giraffe, the then-pregnant giraffe who went viral in 2017.

Finally, the Very Fairy Scarecrows. 

Most of these are created by either businesses or non profits, but it is open to all.

I'll post some more displays during the coming days.  By then, I should know who the winner of the contest was.

The display is only up through tomorrow - even scarecrows, I guess, have to migrate to their winter grounds.

Which of these three was your favorite?

Pumpkin and Pumpkin Spice Overload?

Pumpkins, other winter squash, and upstate New York go together like - well, fall and upstate New York.  (and, at this time of year, overcast clouds go together with fall in upstate New York like.... but I digress).

Yes, I've finally been dragged, kicking and screaming, into fall.  Do I have a choice?

But once there, I love fall.

What is a pumpkin?  It is a  Cucurbitaceae, or a squash, related to melons, gourds, and cucumbers.  In the United States, until recent years, orange pumpkins were the most popular. Now, white pumpkins are also gaining in popularity. 

Heirloom squashes - green, warted, flattish, and others, are also making a comeback.  There are miniature pumpkins for tabletops, smallish pumpkins ("sugar" pumpkins) for pies, large pumpkins for carving and huge pumpkins for growing contests.

Pumpkins are used in other parts of the world, too, in various ways from decorations to soup.

I have never grown pumpkins, because they are far from my favorite food (although I love other winter squashes, especially butternut, honeynut, delicata and acorn), but they are easy enough to grow, especially where I live in upstate New York.

When I grew up, in the New York City of the 1950's and 1960's, pumpkins had three uses:

1.  Jack o'lanterns;
2.  Pumpkin seeds (roasted and sold as snacks; and
3.  Pumpkin pie.
 
Now, in upstate New York, and elsewhere in the United States, every prepared food in the fall seems to have pumpkin in it, whether you want it there or not.  It's been like that for several years now.

 Recently, I found the following for sale, besides the actual pumpkin fruit (yes, pumpkin is a fruit, but we won't get too technical here):

Pumpkin spice coffee (and lattes, at coffee shops)
Pumpkin oat cereal

Pumpkin quick bread and muffin mix
Pumpkin tortilla chips
Pumpkin bar mix
Pumpkin ice cream
Pumpkin spice mix
Sparkling spiced pumpkin cider
Pumpkin spice marshmallows
Pumpkin, canned (which, many times isn't really pumpkin but that's another blog post)
Pumpkin cream cheese spread
Frozen pumpkin ravioli
Pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling
Pumpkin flavored coffee creamer


How did eating pumpkins get to be so popular?  Yes, I know the flesh is nutritious, and the seeds are nutritional powerhouses. But still?  That taste?

Of course, a lot of the "pumpkin" is really pumpkin spice - spice used to flavor pumpkin pie (especially nutmeg, the use of which goes back thousands of years).  But still, if you don't like pumpkin around these parts, you are in trouble.

Do you like pumpkin? Pumpkin spice?

Day 4 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost

Peter Peter Pumpkin People

I'm sorry.  I can't let go of fall.  I don't want it to end.


Wintery (sort of, considering our ultra mild fall so far) weather is almost here in upstate New York.  Eastern Standard Time is here, and I'm going through my annual fall-back disorientation.  But on the other hand, I have an extra hour to play with today.

I'm not the only one who is disoriented.  We had out of town guests staying at a local motel last night and the motel had a sign on the door warning people that they were going to set the clocks an hour ahead at 2am today.

Not so!  And not on my blog, either, because I said the same thing, too, until two readers told me (one in person).  I hope I didn't make anyone oversleep.

Which brings us to the pumpkin people.

It's a wedding of ideas.

Last Saturday we did a little leaf peeping, and, on the way, stopped at a pumpkin farm near Candor, New York called Iron Kettle Farm.  When my son (who is an adult now) was young, we used to take him to pumpkin farms to select a pumpkin, and to see the pumpkin people displays.

We played our cards right.

We hadn't been to one in years, so this was a nice opportunity to relive days gone by, as we visited Ninja turtles.

And three pumpkin people in a tub.

A bit spooky to think that we may have some wet snow by the end of the week.

I'll miss fall, but then again, I always do.

Stay tuned for winter......

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Pumpkin?

Pumpkins and upstate New York go together like - well, fall color and upstate New York.

Country Wagon Produce, Maine, NY

(and, at this time of year, overcast clouds go together with fall in upstate New York like.... but I digress).

What is a pumpkin?  It is a  Cucurbitaceae, or a squash, related to melons, gourds, and cucumbers.  In the United States, until recent years, orange pumpkins were the most popular. Now, white pumpkins are also gaining in popularity.  And, heirloom pumpkins are making a comeback - green, warted, flattish, and others.  There are miniature pumpkins for tabletops, smallish pumpkins ("sugar" pumpkins) for pies, large pumpkins for carving and huge pumpkins for growing contests  and punkin chunkin.

Pumpkins are used in other parts of the world, too, in various ways from decorations to soup.

I have never grown pumpkins, because they are far from my favorite food (although I love other winter squashes, especially butternut, delicata and acorn), but they are easy enough to grow, especially where I live in upstate New York.

When I grew up, in the New York City of the 1950's and 1960's, pumpkins had three uses:

1.  Jack o'lanterns;
2.  Pumpkin seeds (roasted and sold as snacks; and
3.  Pumpkin pie.
 
Now, in upstate New York, and elsewhere in the United States, everything seems to have pumpkin in it, whether you want it or not.

In our local small supermarket (and I emphasize "small"), I found the following for sale, besides the actual pumpkin fruit (yes, pumpkin is a fruit, but we won't get too technical here):
Pumpkin flavored coffee
Pumpkin pizzelle cookies
Pumpkin quick bread and muffin mix
Pumpkin bar mix
Pumpkin ice cream
Pumpkin spice mix
Sparkling spiced pumpkin cider
Pumpkin spice marshmallows
Pumpkin, canned
Pumpkin cream cheese spread
Frozen pumpkin ravioli
Pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling
Pumpkin flavored coffee creamer

Which leaves people like me who don't like pumpkin, baffled.

How did eating punkin-I mean, pumpkins-get to be so popular?  Yes, I know the flesh is nutritious, and the seeds are nutritional powerhouses. But still?  That taste?

Do you like to eat pumpkin flavored foods?  Or do you hope this is a fad that will go away?  Or, is pumpkin not eaten where you live?