Pumpkins and Gourds At the Bates Farm

On the 29th of September, I visited my friend Jill Bates for a long overdue get-together. She and her husband Randy own and run an organic dairy farm. Their daughter Allison helps. It's grueling, labor intensive work that has to be done every single day without fail and they love what they do. I marvel at what they do. Ninety percent of us reading this would not be able to farm; and dairy farming is the most intensive form of all. Twice a day, every day, you have to milk your cows, and time in between milking is spent on feeding them, cleaning up after them, and making sure your grounds are secure so they can't wander off. There is also the process that has to be done after the cows have been milked. The milk has to be properly harvested and stored until the milk trucks come to collect your hard work.

The Bates also plant small crops of potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, squash and gourds. Each year after putting aside what they need for canning, they sell their pumpkins, gourds, and squash to the public from wooden wagons in their front yard. Our leaves haven't sufficiently changed color yet for me to take pictures, but their pumpkins, squash and gourd wagons were poised and calling my camera. They were so beautiful I wanted to share with everyone; so here they are in a slide show. I hope you enjoy!