A Pumpkin Tale Part 9: After The Harvest

October 10th

Pumpkins
Pumpkins tugging at their vines,
Pumpkins growing round and green.
Pumpkins hiding in the leaves,
Pumpkins shyly, smooth and clean.
Pumpkins shining in the rain,
Pumpkins plumping in the sun.
Pumpkins blushing underneath,
Turning orange, one by one.
~ Heather Mitchell Amey

(If you've missed the first seven installments, you might want to read them first, here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 and Chapter 8.)

What now, you say to yourself...

.....what else could the lady possibly do with these pumpkins? What did the lady do after she harvested the very last pumpkin?

First, she went to the internet and found this site about harvesting pumpkins as well as one called the Pumpkin Nook. Both have a lot of good ideas and information. Guess what? The lady found out that her idea to use a bubble incubator approach was real! The lady had carefully cut the pumpkins off the withered vines, making sure to leave a long stem. She did not carry the pumpkins by the stem but cradled them gently in her arms... and they were heavy.

She wiped off any loose dirt covering the pumpkins. A warm bath was drawn with a 10% chlorine bleach solution and the pumpkins were bathed with a soft cloth, one by one. After rinsing, they were dried and their skins buffed to a shiny glow. Then they were weighed.... Yes, I think this would be the perfect place to put the final tally.


November 1st

Our grand total is nine; nine wonderful fairytale pumpkins. How big? The smallest pumpkin weighed in at four pounds. We have four weighing in at seven pounds each; one ten pounder; two wonderfully shaped at seventeen pounds each and one heavyweight pumpkin coming in at twenty-one pounds. A grand total of 97 pounds worth of wonderful pumpkin.


November 25th

The pumpkins are now curing; that is, they are sitting on soft cushions in the sunroom. The humidity is controlled with a dehumidifier and they get sun most of the day. The lady turns them every other day. Contrary to what some sites told her, the earlier pumpkins have turned fully orange over time. She is hopeful that these last four will also mature over time as well.

What's next for the fairytale pumpkins?

... Now we will explore the "inner" pumpkin and some of the tasty treats in store.

(Only a few more chapters in our story... will we have a happy ending?) (end of post)