This Week at the Farm: Celebrating the Harvest Season

The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter, the air is crisp, and it definitely feels like soup weather. The crew arrives bundled up and ready to work each morning, and hot drinks have become a staple. There was a frost advisory in some areas last night, which is a reminder that there’s only so much time before winter arrives.

Before the ground freezes, plant perennials and bulbs to get a head start on your spring gardens (you’ll be thanking yourself when the snow melts in the spring!). Did you know that you can plant your bulbs like lasagna to create a display that lasts for months? In bulb lasagna gardening, you stack layers of early and late season bulbs with a layer of mulch in between. Around the time one layer dies off, the other will start to bloom!

When you’re not working on your fall flower displays and preparing your spring gardens, spend some time putting your gardens to bed before winter.

Pick-your-own Pumpkins

Pumpkin Festival kicks off the pumpkin picking season here at the farm! Through the end of October, the pick-your-own patch is open daily! Pumpkins are 50 cents per pound and can be paid for in the farmstand during business hours (Monday to Saturday 10-6 and Sundays 10-5).

Festival Happenings

We hope to see you at the farm for our 16th Annual Pumpkin Festival tomorrow from 10 to 3. To get you even more excited for it, here’s a list of what to look forward to:

• Pumpkin Picking! – The patch is open all day and there are thousands of pumpkins to choose from!
• Concessions (11-3) – Farm-made food (think shepherd’s pie, stuffed peppers, soup…) and seasonal desserts from the our beloved farm kitchen; Grilled cheese and mac ‘n cheese from Griddle and Groovy; Brick oven pizza from the NOFA-VT mobile pizza oven.
• Live Music – Acoustic folk sounds of Rose Hip Jam (10:15-12:45) and classic rock & roll by The Wyld Nightz Band (1:00-3:00)
  
• Kids’ Entertainment – Jennings & Ponder tell traditional folktales (10:30-11:45) and Stephen Coronella tells stories, plays music, and sings songs (12:30-2:30).
• Horse-drawn wagon rides – On your way to the pumpkin patch, take a horse-drawn wagon ride and learn more about the farm and our farming practices.
• Activities – Cider pressing, face painting, pumpkin bowling, photo booth, raptors from VINS, bubbles, and more!

Entry is a $10-15 suggested donation per car. All donations go to our education programs. You’ll also have the option to donate to our educational scholarship fund by rounding up at the register in the farmstand, Hello Café, and at the Cedar Circle Farm concession stand!

Closed for the day on Monday

A lot goes into planning, preparing, and running a festival! To give our staff a [much needed] day off, both the farmstand and Hello Cafe are closed on Monday, October 8th. Normal hours will resume Tuesday morning.

Fall hours

The farmstand and Hello Cafe are open regular hours until October 31. Starting Friday, November 2, the farmstand is open 3 days a week – Fridays 12-6, Saturdays 10-3, and Sundays 10-3. The Hello Cafe will be closed for the winter starting on November 1.

Upcoming Events

• Saturday, Oct. 6 – Little Farmers (10–11am, weekly)
• Sunday, Oct. 7 – Pumpkin Festival (10am–3pm), Knife Sharpening (10am–2pm)
• Monday, Oct. 8 – Farmstand & Hello Cafe CLOSED
• Tuesday, Oct. 9 – Little Farmers (10–11am, weekly)
• Saturday, Oct. 13 – Backyard Chickens class (2–3:30pm)