Harvest

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler.  This time of year has such mixed emotions for us.  You have the sadness that the season is coming to an end but then you have the excitement of discovering the wonders of fall in the field and the delights of not only harvesting fall's bounty but also the preparing of the field for next years vegetables.

I love Winter Squash and pumpkins, they start to peep through the grass and corn with such wonderful colours and textures and bumps and lumps and this really is the time when you see how well they have or have not done.

We have had a bumper crop of Spaghetti Squash this year, they seem to be everywhere.  We have also grown Boston marrows, musquee De Provence, sugar dumpling, butternut, acorn, Turks turban, mini pie pumpkins and the list could go on!  One of the things we like about  heirloom/heritage vegetables is the history that comes with them.  

The Boston Marrow (pre-1831, pictured to the left) - According to Fearing Burr, John M. Ives of Salem, Massachusetts acquired a Boston Marrow (which he named Autumnal Marrow) from a friend from Northampton who claimed it originated with a tribe of Indians near Buffalo, NY. It became very popular around Boston for making pies hence the name Boston Marrow. The beautiful squash ripens to an orange colour and is Hubbard shaped. The very productive vines produces fruit up to 20 lbs. and the flesh is golden orange, fine-grained and makes the best pumpkin pie ever, we have been told! A very reliable squash that store well if properly cured.