Fall Musings

Blog Category: Announcements
September 29, 2016 by Jaime Brinkman, Former Account Manager

It’s officially fall, and harvest season is upon us. It is one of my favorite times of year; one filled with fond memories of my childhood and harvest on our farm. As row crop farmers, my dad and grandpa often worked in the field into the evening hours. We would take dinner out to them, and if we were lucky, we would get to ride along with them in the tractor until bedtime. Sometimes we even got to sport our footed pajamas for the ride.

My younger sister and I always knew it was time for the corn and soybeans to come in from the field when Mom took us to the local orchard to pick out our pumpkins. Once home, we would walk around the farm hunting for the perfect items to decorate our pumpkins with. I often would use milkweed for ears, grass and hay for hair, and painted leaves for the eyes. Mom proudly displayed our decorated pumpkins outside the front door for all to see as they passed by.

The bonus of all the hard work decorating our pumpkins was the delicious snack we would enjoy after Mom baked the pumpkin seeds. She would preheat the oven to 300, then we would get to work cleaning and drying the seeds. Mom would toss the clean seeds in some olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. After about a half hour of baking, the seeds would come out crispy and delicious!

As I’ve gotten older, I still love the art of pumpkin decorating. I also still like to purchase my pumpkins locally and buy mine from a small farm in my community. My style has grown over the years and I tend to keep things a bit more simple now. I often tie ribbon around the stems and paint a simple pattern on the outside or add a fun pattern like polka dots. I have also used pumpkins indoors as a vessel for fresh cut flowers. This year, I hope to try my hand at decorating them with permanent markers. There are lots of other fun ideas online for decorating the famous fall gourd with no carving skills required. How will you be decorating your pumpkins this year? Drop us a note below and let us know – we would love to hear from you!

I am looking forward to the changing colors of fall this year as well. My footed pajamas of childhood have turned to sweatshirts, scarves and quilted vests. I love going for a walk in the crisp air and taking in all the changing colors as the landscape changes over from summer to fall. If you are in the mood to add some fall flavor to your landscape, you can view photos of past fall container and display projects here. More information about our seasonal color services can be found online, or give us a call at 515.987.0800. I love to talk all things fall too, so feel free to drop me a note.

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