Squished Squash and Jack Frost

Congratulations Winter, you have finally arrived.  And with a vengeance it seems!


It started with a nice snow where we got about a foot of the white stuff at the farm.  Some time later, we had a very nice hoar frost that covered the trees and other things, dressing them up nicely for the farmers to view.  And, of course, it was suddenly quite cold, making it a bit more of a trial to get the camera out.  But, as you can see, we had a little success with it.  I just wasn't willing to stay outside longer to wait for the sunlight to come around and sparkle things up a bit more.

I have to admit that I am of mixed feelings when it comes to the colder temperatures.  On the one hand, our climate has a norm to it where we expect some frigid temperatures that freeze the soil (and the nostrils shut).  I was actually beginning to worry that if we didn't get the cold, we might have more trouble with certain pests (such as aphids) next season than we might normally have.  Yes, folks, there are certain advantages we have in Iowa that come with the colder January weather.  Among those advantages is natural pest control.  It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.

On the other hand, there are a number of things that get downright difficult when the weather turns very cold.  Chicken and duck eggs can freeze pretty quickly in this weather.  That means we have to go out and check fairly often if we don't want them to freeze.  And, of course, the ladies aren't particularly thrilled in temps below zero, so they tend to reduce egg production when that happens.  I can't say that I blame them.  Certainly, we do what we can to help them out.  But, hey, it's cold and we're NOT bringing them into the house.  If one of the things they have to do to cope with the temps is to drop egg production for a bit, I guess we have to respect that.  What I don't care for is the consequences of spilling the water bucket on yourself and finding that it is cold enough to freeze your pants legs in a matter of a couple of minutes!

Even old spider webs collected hoar frost this time

At the risk of making you draw parallels to a see-saw, I also have to admit that the colder weather and snow is welcome from my perspective because it officially seals the end of a large number of outdoor projects.  Any drip tape left in the fields at this point will wait until it gets warmer, for example.  After all, the reality on the farm is this - if the temps remain moderate, the farmer will continue to find that there is more than enough to do outside on a daily basis.  Snow covered, frozen ground effectively puts a stop to some of the outdoor project options.  And I'm very ok with that.  After all, there is plenty to do indoors on the farm.

Among the things that take up our time at the farm is our desire to process some of the remaining produce.  We keep some winter squash for ourselves each year, eating some of it throughout the Winter and processing/freezing the rest for use throughout the year.  Tammy is particularly good at making pumpkin bread and will often make it for various events at school or for the farm.  We simply cannot allow our supply to dwindle so that she can continue to make her excellent pumpkin bread!

Musquee de Provence - now that's a meaty pumpkin!

During the fairly recent snow storm, Tammy selected a Musquee de Provence pie pumpkin (and some others) to process.  We thought we'd take a picture of it once we opened it up to show you one of the reasons why we like this variety so much.  The volume of usable pie pumpkin flesh on these is quite impressive.  And, the taste is fantastic.

We cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seed cavity.  Once that is cleaned up, we cut the pumpkin into wedges.  The pumpkin above weighed in at about 17 pounds and we cut it into seven pieces for cooking.

We put them in a roasting pan and roasted them until they were soft enough to scoop out.  Tammy will typically run this through a blender to make it easier to work with for her bread and pie recipes before she puts them into freezer bags.

We took the time this Winter to do a side by side comparison for taste and concluded that they all had their qualities.  And, not surprisingly, they ALL tasted different.  What was a surprise (though we shouldn't have been) was the fact that we each tended to choose different pumpkins as having the better taste and texture.  Once again, this shows that we are on the right track growing more than one variety.  People have different tastes, so as long as we have a nice range of pie pumpkins with good quality, people can identify what fits them the best when it comes time to choose.

If you are interested in Tammy's pumpkin pie recipes, take this link and visit our recipe pages.  Look for the tab that says "Winter Squash" and scroll down until you find them (should be the first two on the page).  One of these days, I might be able to convince her to divulge her pumpkin bread recipe.  Or, perhaps, you can all tell her how wonderful she is and you might convince her to make some for a farm event and you can have some then!