The Great Pumpkin Growing Competition!

One of Sophie's pumpkins died the first day!

Sophie and Steve tending their plants.

Herbert! My magnificent pumpkin plant.

 We've started a pumpkin growing competition in the garden in front of the Farm Stand! We each have a giant pumpkin plant and the goal is to grow the biggest, bestest pumpkin! We have three categories are pumpkins will be judged on: 1) Biggest 2) Roundest 3) Closest to gardener's weight! In the running we have Lib's pumpkin Linus, Sophie's Lil' Mama, my Herbert (the favorite to win if I do say so myself), Steve's Arnold the Terminator, and Amanda's Paul the Pumpkin! Stay tuned to watch their progress!

Fresh Flower Bouquets and Weeding the Garden

Phone that H.O. claims he actually used as a kid!

Amanda has proven herself to be an excellent flower arranger. Her bouquets are scattered throughout the store and on the porch, adding vibrant color and life! She picks new ones every couple days and they're available to purchase so you can take some of the colorful farm meadow feeling home. She uses whatever flowers are blooming in our gardens, currently Snap Dragons, Brown-eyed Susans, and Daisies are just a few she's using! She can also arrange a bouquet at your request. We had a man in not long ago who wanted a bouquet picked to bring home to his wife. While he was browsing the store waiting for Amanda to get his bouquet together, his wife drove up to the store. As the bouquet was supposed to be a surprise, Amanda hid in the back arranging the flowers while the husband distracted his wife until she drove away. She knew he was up to something, but I wish I'd seen her expression when he presented her with the gorgeous little bouquet Amanda put together....

I, on the other hand, have proven myself to be an appalling flower arranger, so please don't ever ask me to put together a bouquet for you! The one time I tried to put together a simple little bunch of flowers Amanda had to come to my rescue and redo the scrappy clash of flowers I'd shoved into a pile. So instead of picking flowers yesterday while the store was slow, I decided to do something that requires no artistic ability.. and weeded a few of the pots in the front that had been neglected. Here's some pictures of a giant pumpkin plant I was in the process of weeding out. There is something very satisfying about ripping up weeds and clearing a swath of soil.

You can see the shadow of my hair as I took the picture!

Rhubarb Scones with Whipped Cream

Yesterday Amanda and I treated ourselves to some rhubarb scones that Ben baked in the Pavilion kitchen, topped off with Thomas' Dairy heavy cream that I whipped up with a dash of vanilla and powdered sugar. Ben's scones are some of the best I've tasted, light, fluffy, and soft when you bite into them with a delicious strong buttery flavor. The spot of rhubarb in the center adds a tart sweetness that compliments the whipped cream. If you want to enjoy these scones too, then come down to the Farm Stand where we're selling them, or be sure to come to Sunday Brunch where they'll be hot from the oven!

Local Artists' Work at the Farm Stand

Mary Ober's gorgeous garlic bulb vases.

In the last week we've been starting to get in some great pieces from local artists and craftsmen. Above I have a couple of Mary Ober's beautiful ceramics, which we're selling at the store. You can see more of her pieces at http://www.maryober.etsy.com/. Her ceramics speak for themselves; I want to buy everything she's selling in the store for myself!

Bethani Garland's elegant earrings.

We also have some beautiful jewelry. Bethani Garland of Moose Lily Studio makes elegant earrings with sterling silver and precious stones, all named after New England wildflowers and wildlife, such as "Barn Owl" and "Pink Lady's Slippers." You can find her on facebook under Moose Lily Studio. Buy a pair of her earrings and 5% of all proceeds go to local Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers!

I have more lovely crafts and jewelry to write about but I want to get some good pictures of their works first, so stay tuned for more!