Pumpkins at their peak of prettiness in mid-July

 



Click on images below to enlarge


All the plants transplanted


Organic control of our insect pests


Jay staking this year's selected plants, we'll save the seed from them later for the 2008 crop


After hand-harvesting the seeds, the shells are tasteless, of no value and are left to compost and enrich the soil for next year's crop.



2007 Report

      

Certified Organic!
Well, the big, big news of the year is that we are now certified organic! We've always been deeply committed to organic and sustainable growing methods and now it is official. It was a pleasure to work with our certifier, MOSA—Midwest Organic Services Association.

Great start

12,000 seedlings May 2007

Full of hope and promise, 12,000 seedlings got off to a great start in friend's Kate & Steve Hearth's greenhouse in late May. The year, all the plants were kept on our own property so that we could better manage them during the year. We're still working out the procedures and it may be a few years before we can include other growers.We had a great crew to transplant and everything was in the ground. The growing season was perfect, warm with adequate rainfall.

Victory Over the Cucumber Beetles
This last few years our insect nemesis has been the cucumber beetle. They totally destroyed the crop in one of the fields last year. We've now found a combination of organic approved materials that safely and effectively controls this pest. Victory to the humans!

Oh Deer
All six acres of the pumpkin field were protected with electric deer fencing. In 2006 we lost about 35% of the crop to deer. Fencing proved 100% effective and was a humane way to deal with them.

 

 


Jay testing the electric deer fencing, amazing delphinium in the foreground

Selecting Plants and Saving Seeds
We spent a few years selecting the variety of naked-seeded pumpkin that both tasted the best and did well in our area. Now out of the thousand's of plants we grow, we are carefully selecting the "stars" to become the seeds for next year's crop. Over the years, we will evolve truly superior and unique stock for producing the finest pumpkin seed oil.

This Oil is Precious
Despite it being just a picture perfect season, right at the end, things got really wet. We had more rain August to October than had ever been recorded, since the 1890's. Too much rain as it turned out and we ended up loosing up to 80% of the crop in some areas. So once again this year our supply is extremely limited and we expect to sell out quickly. That said, the quality is superb, really delicious. We looking forward to a much larger production Hay River Pumpkin Seed Oil in 2008!

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