Penner Pumpkins and the Scarecrow Forest

Sunshine Muffins

2011-11-01T10:20:00.002-06:00

This is a recipe I adapted from a Reader Digest recipe. It's delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup multi-grain flour (or whole wheat flour)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup squash (or you could use pumpkin). Make sure it is pureed. If you search my blog I have directions on how to bake pumpkin or squash.
1/4 cup plain or vanilla flavoured yogurt

Optional:
1/2 cup of: dates or raisins or cranberries or walnuts or raw hull less pumpkin seeds (can be found at Superstore and are green in color) or sunflower seeds.
1/4 cup of: ground flax seed or wheat germ or both

The last time I made these muffins I put in cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, ground flax, and wheat germ. I add ground flax and wheat germ to make the muffins healthier. I used ground flax instead of whole flax seeds because your body can't digest whole flax seeds.

I usually will use a red kuri or a sunshine squash to make these muffins.

Directions:
1.In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients.
2. With a mixer or in a blend or food processor, combine eggs with brown sugar, apple sauce, pureed squash and yogurt.
3. Stir together wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just mixed. Add fruits, nuts and seeds and barely mix in.
4. Grease muffin cups and divide batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 400 F (200 C) oven for 25 minutes or until a tester (tooth pick) comes out clean
5. Cool muffins on rack.
6. Enjoy.

Lorissa

What people have to say about the Forest

2011-10-26T11:59:00.002-06:00

RSL: it was easy to spend over 2 hrs there. but...prob. better in September when there garden is still growing and the corn isn't starting to dry. All in all a lot of fun and we will go next year for sure.

AG: We went today but my little girl was scared of the haunted forest lol!

CBM: We love The Scarecrow Forest and both my girls (ages 2 & 4) looked forward to the zipline ALL year (they both went on last year too).

RSL: Best time ever! Thanks for making our family fun time worth the trip to the Scarecrow Forest.

NJV : You guys are amazing!!! This was our first time there and I think it's going to be an annual event. Making the scarecrows was a memory our family will have forever. Thanks for doing what you do!!

KP: Thanks for a great birthday party. The kids had a great time (so did the adults).

Joyce: I work at Scarecrow Forest and I think the whole place is awesome. I love the people I work with and all the stations/activities I can work at.

CBM: The best part of the Forest is...... my 4 & 2 year would say the zip lines and 2nd favorite would be the straw bales to climb on.

NSD: You are guys have a great place.....and we will definitely be back soon;)

Palm Lite: I wanted to mention to you that we really appreciated your enthusiasm and energy you put into hosting our corporate function. You did a great job in hosting and organizing the activities and getting the whole group involved as well. Keep up the good work!

SH: Just to let you know we visited your place yesterday. I did buy a pumpkin. What a wonderful setup you have for the kids! The playground was terrific, my grandson who is 5 loved the Zip line – his comment was “I want to do that every day”. Another hit was the duck race. We all enjoyed the “train” ride, especially the “conductor’s” sense of humour. It was nice to have good, clean fun without the creepy Halloween décor some of the other places have (I enjoy Halloween, but not the blood and guts that some feel is necessary).
P.S. I especially like the fact the washrooms weren’t outhouses! LOL
(by the way, for us clued out city folk you might want to explain in your directions that Highway 311 is split and you need to pass the first one that goes west so don’t travel down east on a gravel road that happens to be on the exact opposite side of the first 311 split – LOL.) See you next year!

Lorissa

Highlights of Oct.21

2011-10-21T21:25:00.003-06:00

We had 249 children and 37 adults enjoy the Forest during the day. The bales, kittens, and zip line were quite popular. At night we had 50 people enjoy the Forest and get scared by some of the scarecrows.

Other highlights:

-Having eight buses at one time on the yard
-A brown calf was born in the pasture next to the zip line
-Seeing the children holding the kittens, petting Mr. Taffy, and feeding Little Peter a tomato and loving it and loving the animals.
-Seeing some very creative pumpkin painting creations.
-Having some groups surprise us and show up without reservations (A mix-up in communication. We prefer groups to reserve well in advance so we can plan your visit. But it all worked out).
-Re-arranging the gift shop for the fifth or sixth time this year.
-At night people wondering where Bob was (to understand this you need to come out on Friday)
-Being called the underwear Lady at night

In total from Mon to Fri we had 511 people in the Forest. Busy, busy but we were loving it.

Hepzee all worn out from all the petting during the day. He didn't even have energy to straighten out his ears. Maybe it was his 3 1/2 mile run after all the children left.

Lorissa

Petting Farm Animals Part Two

2011-10-16T21:31:00.009-06:00

Dogs

A baby dog is called a puppy.

The average life span for a dog is around 10 to 14 years.

Gestation period is an average of 63 days. An average litter has three to six puppies.

Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their

first weeks

Puppies are born blind and deaf.

Cats

A baby cat is called a kitten.

Domestic cats can sprint nearly 31 miles per hour (50 km/h).

Your cat's heart beats twice as fast as yours.

The average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year is 3.

The average number of kittens in a feline litter is 4–6.

In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats.

The gestation period for cats runs from 60 to 67 days.

Horses

A baby horse is called a colt

A horse is pregnant for 11 months. A baby horse is called either a colt (male) or a filly (female).

Many horse live into their 20s and some live into their 30s.

When a horse is born its legs are almost their full adult length!

Most foals are born at night under cover of darkness and away from prying eyes and possible danger.

A pony is a small horse and they are considered intelligent and friendly, though sometimes they also are described as stubborn or cunning.

Ponies have a stocky body, dense bone, round shape, well-sprung ribs, a short head, large eyes, small ears, and their legs are proportionately shorter. They have strong hooves and grow a heavier hair coat, seen in a thicker mane and tail as well as a particularly heavy winter coat.

Guinea Fowl

They are native to Africa

They are farmed around the world for their meat, eggs and feathers.

They are the farm yard watch dog, sounding the alarm whenever anything unusual occurs. They can get very loud when they don't like something.

The incubation period for Guinea eggs is 26 to 28 days

They are extremely good runners and use this method, rather than flying, to escape predators

Petting Farm animals Part One

2011-10-13T09:30:00.006-06:00

The Scarecrow Forest animals.

Goats

A baby goat is called a kid.

After a 5-months pregnancy (gestation) an average of 2 kids are born per doe.

There are over three hundred distinct breeds of goat

Goats are ruminants and have a special "4-compartment stomach".

Are used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins

A pygmy goat is a small breed of domestic goat

Pygmy goat were introduced to the United States in the 1950s

Wattles are little folds or tufts of skin covered in hair located on the neck under the jaw. They serve no purpose.

Almost all goats are born with horns

Pot Belly Pigs

Originated in Vietnam, and were first kept and raised as pets in sometime in 1985-1986.

Live for around 10-15 years

Gestation (length of pregnancy) is 110-115 days

Pigs have bristles instead of hair. This is a rough, type of hair that sparsely covers their body. They will shed this hair.

Most pigs will eat just about anything, anytime. Little Peters loves cucumbers, cauliflower, corn, and tomatoes.

A lot of pigs end up being very overweight because humans overfed them.

Pot bellied pigs are the fourth smartest animal, and can be trained commands such as “sit”, and “lie down”, and can be litter trained or house trained.

Silkie Chickens

Are well known for their calm, friendly temperament.

Originated in China

All Silkies have black skin, bones and grayish-black meat

A hen will produce 100 eggs in an ideal year

Chickens have four toes, but Silkies have five toes (like humans)

Bring a Flashlight Event

2011-10-06T17:53:00.006-06:00

Bring a flashlight event happens every Friday in October from 4 to 10 pm (last admission one hour before closing). There will be live scarecrows in the Forest from 7 to 9 :30 pm. Trick or treat in the Forest and once it's dark check out the Forest at night. At night time jump off the zipline into the darkness and experience the thrill of zipping in the dark.

Includes:

Scarecrow Forest Path
Petting Farm
Betsy (Simulated Milking Cow)
Farm Animal Maze
Corn Box
Sand Box
Play Structures
Rope Maze
Bales Of Fun
Corn Trail
Trick or treating
Bon fire to sit around

Activities To Choose From :

Zip Line (1 ticket)
Train Ride(1 tix)
Water Pump Duck Races (get a rubber duck and can take it home)
Corn Cannon (3 shots for one ticket)
Trike Track(one tix)
Pony Rides - (3 tickets)
Paint Mini Pumpkin (one tix)
Paint Big Pumpkin (3 tickets)

Tickets are $1.50 each.

Option A: Admission is $11.00 and includes two tickets.

Option B: Admission is $8.50 (which includes trick or treating in the Forest)

From 4 to 7 pm all ticketed attractions will be open. At 7 pm the Scarecrow cannon, zipline, and pumpkin painting will only be open. A ticket can also be used on hot chocolate.

Please remember that no outside food is allowed in the Forest. On Fridays our hotdog meal deal will be available at $4.50. No other hot food will be available. We will have pumpkin pie and pumpkin cookies available for purchase, as well as chocolate bars, chips, pop, coffee, tea, hot apple cider, candy bags, and water.

Rubber Duckies

2011-10-05T19:41:00.004-06:00

How hard can it be to get 1000 rubber duckies home? Apparently it can be really hard. Shirley and I went on a short relaxing trip to the states, after planting our 3 1/2 acre garden. We decided to take my small car (a four door Yaris, really small for someone who is 5'9") because we weren't going to buy that much. I love going to the states because they have a ton of cheap, nice size 11 shoes and my favorite nursing uniform brand. I was also planning on bringing back some books. That was it and than the 1000 duckies.

Well, my mom found some really cheap bushel baskets, medium bushel baskets, and tiny bushel baskets so we bough 10 of each. Than I found a cheap, really nice patio set. Glass top, table legs, umbrella, and four chairs. Than my mom decided we needed to buy a canopy for the farmers' market. My car looked stuffed and I couldn't see out of many of the windows so we found a secluded spot in a park, unloaded and than reloaded everything.

Time to pick up the rubber duckies and there is no room in the car. We decided to open up the bags and dump the ducks in every nook and cranny we could find. When we came to the border I was hoping that the guard wouldn't open up my doors because he than would have a rubber ducky shower. Thankfully he didn't open up my car doors, and only looked in my trunk.

The rubber duckies came home and now people can race them at the Forest.

Lorissa

10 types of Jelly

2011-10-01T19:52:00.005-06:00

Lorissa and Donna Marie make 10 different kinds of jelly. The kinds are cinnamon basil, chocolate mint, pineapple mint, cherry bomb, apple mint, rosemary, jalapeno, mint, garlic, and grape. A lot of people ask us what can you do with jelly. Jelly is really good on toast, crackers, or meat.

One lady told me that she heats up a jar of jalapeno jelly in the microwave and than puts it on to of a brick of cream cheese. She serves this with crackers either as a snack or as party food. The cherry bomb jelly (which is a really really hot pepper) would work well this way also.

Garlic jelly can be used instead of garlic butter. Spread garlic jelly on bread and sprinkle some cheese on top. Broil in the oven until cheese browns and is bubbly. Enjoy.

Apple mint jelly tastes likes apple jelly and is really good on toast or bread. I have tried the pineapple jelly and it is so good. I was eating the leftover jelly out of the bowl with a spoon.

Jellies are also used on meats. Mint jelly is commonly used on lamb and I could see pineapple jelly being really good on chicken.

What do you use jelly on? Have you tried any of our jellies?

Lorissa

Facts on Pumpkins and Squashes.

2011-09-26T22:17:00.006-06:00

Did you know that it gives hundreds of different varieties of pumpkins and when you google pumpkins you get about 45,800,000 results. When you google pumpkin recipes you get about 26,200,000 results.

We grow 25 different varieties of pumpkins in our 3 1/2 acre garden. We grow this many different varieties so that we can get tan, blue, green , orange, warted, flat, tall, round, deeply ribbed, small, or huge pumpkins. Some of the names include: Cinderella, Knuckle Head, Long Island Cheese, Polar Bear, Baby Boo, Marina Di Chioggia and of course we have standard carving pumpkins. At Penner Pumpkins we love having a variety of pumpkins so that people can make beautiful fall arrangements and strange Halloween displays.

Pumpkin can be used in a variety of different ways such as: muffins, soups, breads, pies, cookies, pancakes, chili, cheesecake, cake, stew, casseroles, stir frys, and so much more.

A good website on pumpkins is www.allaboutpumpkins.com/varieties.html. A good website for information on pumpkins that is geared for children is

http://www.mercednutrition.org/Uploaded_Documents%5CHOTM-OCT-PUMPKINS.pdf

When you google squash you get about 101,000,000 results. When you google squash recipes you get about 20,100,000 results. We grow 11 varieties of squash at Penner Pumpkins. We grow squash for people to eat, but they are also really pretty in fall decorating.

Contests for Facebook

2011-09-22T22:16:00.000-06:00

Penner Pumpkin has three different contests running on facebook.

The first is to get to 250 likes and than Lorissa will draw a name and that person will win some fall decorating items.

The second contest is for people to submit a photo of the Scarecrow Forest. If by Oct. 2o we have a minimum of 10 people submit a photo Lorissa will randomly select a winner and that person will win some pumpkins. Directions on how to submit a photo How do you post a picture? Make a comment and there should be a photo button on top, click that button and upload your favorite photo.

The third contest is for people to either share what they like about the Forest or give us a review. If we get 10 people to respond than Lorissa will enter the people who have responded and they will win some pumpkins.

Squashes

2011-09-19T19:17:00.000-06:00

Penner Pumpkins grows squash for two reasons. One is for eating and the second reason is for fall decorating. I find that people like different squash and some people want a certain type of squash and some people like to experiment and try new ones. That is why we grow so many different types of squash. Squashes can also be used in fall decorations. A couple of years ago a customer told me she used blue Hubbard squash to carve instead of pumpkins. I tried that idea and made a really cool looking face.

Red kuri- Hubbard type, smooth-textured flesh. Has a very sweet taste (as good as eating candy). Good for pies and purees because specks of skin (being red) will not show.

Blue Hubbard- medium dry and sweet flesh. Has yellow flesh.

Sunshine- flesh is smooth, nutty, creamy, and sweet. A buttercup variety. Has bright red-orange flesh and is ideal for baking or mashing.

Carnival- similar to sweet dumpling. Good for using in a fall arrangements. This squash colorful patches and flecks of green, orange, and yellow. A very pretty looking squash.

Sweet dumpling- sweet, single-serving size. Sweet, tender, and orange flesh.

Delicata- very sweet, smooth and excellent for stuffing and baking (sweet potato taste).

Spaghetti- flesh looks like spaghetti. Use it instead of noodles.

Acorn- Table Ace, sweet and bright orange flesh.

Butternut- flesh is dark orange, fine textured, and sweet tasting.

Grey Ghost- stores well, 12-20 lbs (so it’s a big squash), very nice in fall decorating, orange flesh.

What can you do at the Scarecrow Forest 2011

2011-09-12T19:17:00.000-06:00

There is a lot of things to do at the Scarecrow Forest. For $8.00 (includes taxes) you can:

Scarecrow Forest Path-see 23 different scarecrow scenes set up in our Forest
Petting Farm-see goats, a pot belly pig, guinea fowl, silkie chickens, a rabbit and cats.
Betsy (Simulated Milking Cow)
Farm Animal Maze- Find 10 hidden animals in the maze.
Corn Box-play in some corn. Remember the balls from fast food restaurants, while that is how this feels.
Sand Box
Play Structures
Rope Maze
Bales Of Fun
Corn Trail

Ticketed activities:

-Water pump duck races (you get to keep your duck)

-Trike track

-Zip line (had an 18 month all the way up to a 80 year old go on the zip line)

-Tractor train ride (the whole family can enjoy a scenic ride and see some cows)

-Corn Cannon (shoot tennis balls at a barn, get 3 balls)

-Pony rides (take a ride on Spud or Jenny)

-Large pumpkin painting

-Mini pumpkin painting

In September & October.
Stuff a scarecrow.
Includes clothes, straw and pumpkin head.
$12 no stand
$18 includes stand

Open Farm Day 2011

2011-09-12T10:13:00.000-06:00

Open Farm Day is happening this Sunday, Sept. 18. This is a opportunity for the public to view various farms. There will be a bison farm, dairy farms, market gardens, greenhouses, a horseback riding operation, an alpaca farm, chicken farm, and so much more.

This day gives the public the opportunity to explore farms and ask questions about where your food comes from or the amount of work that goes into a farm.

The Scarecrow Forest will be opening a small part of their operation to the public. You will have the chance to tour our 0.3 acre market garden (see some pumpkins and gourds in the garden), play in a corn box, pet one of our goats, browse through our gift shop where you can buy jellies, jams, relishes, vegetables, pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, gift items, squash, etc. The Scarecrow Forest cost $8.00 to get in (which includes taxes) and the extra activities are $1.50 to $4.50. To do the extra activities you need to pay admission to the Forest.

The Scarecrow Forest will also be having a special meal on this day. We will be serving pork on a bun, baked potato, drink, coleslaw, and baked beans. Our other menu items will be available.

Check this website for more information on Open Farm Day and to get a map of the various farms that will be opening there doors to the public: http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/financial/openfarmday/ofd_home.html

Check out this site for different videos that show the various farms that will be open to the public: http://www.youtube.com/user/OpenFarmDay#p/f

Scarecrow Forest Menu 2011

2011-09-11T18:25:00.001-06:00

Menu:

Hotdog

Sausage burger

Chips (salt & vinegar, ketchup, BBQ, regular, and sour cream & onion)

Pop (Rootbeer, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Orange Crush, 7 up, Brisk Ice Tea)

Apple Juice

Fruit Juices

Coffee

Hot Apple Cider

Hot Chocolate and White Hot Chocolate

Candy bags

Chocolate bars (Mr. Big, Aero, Kit Kat, Coffee Crisp, and smarties)

Onion Rings

French Fries

Our snack shack runs like a restaurant. We need 10-20 mins to prepare hot food items. Place an order than take a walk through the Forest and when you finish the loop your order will be hot and ready. Or place your order, take a look at the petting zoo animals, and than come and have some delicious food.

Coming soon:

Pumpkin cookies

Pumpkin pie

Creamy Cucumber Salad

2011-08-22T09:16:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cucumbers

10 ml vinegar

1/4 cup mayo

Directions:

Slice cucumbers into a bowl, mix in vinegar and mayo. Stir until creamy. I don't peel the cucumbers, but other people do. It all depends on what texture you want.

Enjoy

Lorissa's Greek Salad

2011-07-24T18:23:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

-1 cup of tomatoes

-1 cup of cucumbers

-1/3 cup olives

-1/3 cup Feta cheese

-1/4 real bacon bits or fried bacon crumbled

-dressing (I use Greek Feta and Oregano dressing)

Directions:

Cut tomatoes into wedges (than cut wedges in half). Cut cucumber in half and than slice. Mix all five ingredients with dressing. Enjoy.

Optional ingredients:

-slices of red onions

-1/2 cup of green peppers

-2 cups of lettuce. Lay lettuce on plate and dump the other ingredients on top.

Scarecrow Forest Group Info

2011-07-24T17:32:00.000-06:00

Penner Pumpkins and the Scarecrow Forest has a few days left in August for groups of twenty or more people.

Dates that are still available are August 4, 10, 12, 30 and Sept. 1 + 2. Phone Shirley for more information at 371-5556.

We are taking bookings for birthday parties in August. We are open Thurs to Sat 11 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm.

Agritourism- Grow Your Potential mobile workshop (bus trip)

2011-07-17T21:49:00.000-06:00

Manitoba Tourism Conference

Agritourism- Grow Your Potential mobile workshop (bus trip)

On Tuesday April 12 John, Shirley, and Lorissa went on a bus tour of four different places and farms. The goal was to get ideas about how to grow our own business, and see agritourism business's in Manitoba.

The first place we went to was the Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI). (The) CIGI takes Manitoba crops (wheat, barley, peas, soybeans, etc.) researches the crop, develops new products,and helps other countries use Canadian crops in their own products. This place was very interesting, but unfortunately is not open to the general public. I had no idea that this place existed and after seeing this place I can see the huge importance this Institute has on agriculture and helping promote Manitoba crops. Their website is www.cigi.ca.

The second stop was at a robotic dairy barn. My uncles operate a robotic dairy barn so I had seen this type of operation before. I find this system amazing and so complex. It's amazing how much computers can help simplify the process of milking and taking care of dairy cows. If you want to see a robotic dairy barn check out "Open Farm Day" happening on September 18th. I will post more information when the date is closer. On "Open Farm Day" you may have the chance of seeing a robotic dairy barn in operation (last year my uncles opened their farm to the public). The one thing that really stuck out is when the owners of the farm said "why would any one want to come and tour our barn". They were so use to the robotic milking system that they didn't think it was that special and anyone would want to come and see it. I sometimes have the same mindset. Why would anyone want to do some of the things we have to offer at the Scarecrow Forest because some of the things we offer are so ordinary because I grew up with them or see the things on a daily basis. An example is the bale pyramid. I grew up playing on bales, to me bales are nothing special, but people who didn't grow up on a farm have never played on bales so they find them fun and can spend hours playing on them. Coming to this robotic dairy barn has taught me to think outside of the box and see that what may be ordinary for me may not be so ordinary for another person. For more information on open farm day check out this website http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/financial/openfarmday/ofd_map.html.

We had lunch at Danny's Whole Hog Barbeque. Lunch was really good and after lunch we toured the business. One thing that stuck out was how small his business was at the beginning and how popular and busy it has become in the last nine years. It was really encouraging to see a small business grow and become very successful. For more information check out this link at www.dannyswholehog.com.

The last tour was at Stonewood Elk Ranch. At the ranch we boarded a trailer driven by a small ATV type truck and visited the female elk. Some of the elk came right up to the trailer and we could get a good view of them. It was very interesting learning about elk and how they run their business. I have never been on a elk ranch so I learnt a lot at this place. If you want more information on elk farming check out this website www.manitobaelk.com.

Overall this tour was very interesting and very informative. Check back for more information on Open Farm Day where you may have the opportunity to see a robotic dairy farm or see a elk ranch or come to the Scarecrow Forest.

Lorissa

Contest for facebook

2011-07-11T22:56:00.000-06:00

Hello. I would like to make Penner Pumpkins and the Scarecrow Forest facebook page to be a little more interactive so I'm holding a contest.

Once the page reaches 100 likes I will be giving away a bag of vegetables.

250 likes I will be giving some fall decorating items (pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, etc).

500 likes I will be giving away a $50.00 gift certificate to be used at our place.

1000 likes I will be giving away a free pass to the Scarecrow Forest and a gift certificate to be used at our place.

Once I reach the amount of likes I will enter everyone's name into a draw and pull one lucky winner. I will post that winner's name online.

Since I want the page to be more interactive I will enter one extra ballot if you make a comment on a post or picture or if you give us a review.

Any questions please ask under the comments section.

What type of information are you interested in reading on Penner Pumpkin's facebook page? Any feedback would be helpful.

Lorissa

Herb Butter

2011-07-11T22:53:00.000-06:00

Herb Butter

Need:

-1/2 cup of butter

-4 teaspoons fresh chopped herbs

Place butter and herbs in bowl and stir til combined. Cover and chill in refrigerator several hours before serving.

Italian Butter:

Use: Basil, Thyme, Oregano, and parsley

Sweet and cool Butter

Use: Stevia, mint, and Lemon Basil

Spicy Butter

Use: Garlic Chives and sweet basil

Do you have any other combos that could be used?

Hello.

2011-05-14T19:38:00.000-06:00

My name is Lorissa and I write the posts for the blog and update facebook. Besides working for Penner Pumpkins I work as a nurse. My main jobs with Penner Pumpkins is planning, seeding, working the gardens, selling at the Farmers' markets and off the home yard. I help out a little bit with the Scarecrow Forest, but I love the garden so that's why I mainly work with Penner Pumpkins.

I've had three days off from work so I've been seeding the pumpkins, gourds, and squash. We start all the squash in 2 inch pots, do half the gourds in pots, and a fourth to a half of the pumpkins in pots. The rest we are going to seed in the garden. It's easier to seed in the garden, but the garden soil has to be dry and warm. Last year we tried to seed in the garden, but it didn't work. We are going to give it another try this year. We hope to start planting our big garden May 30 and be done by June 11. I have also been working on my herbs. The first few markets we sell herbs in pots and herb gardens in containers.

I am happy that the weather has warmed up. Right now we could use temperatures in the high teens-low twenties and a strong south wind. This would help dry out our gardens. The big garden we don't plan to seed til the end of May, but our small garden we would love to get into it and finish planting, but it's too wet. I hope we have a dry summer and fall. Last year the fall weather was perfect and I hope it will be again this year.

Hope to see you at Pineridge Hollow Market or on the home yard.

Lorissa

Vegetable Packets

2011-05-02T15:33:00.000-06:00

Feeds 1 to 2 people

1 medium potato cubed

1/4 cup of any four vegetables (ie. 1/4 cup peas, 1/4 cup sweet corn, 1/4 cup red pepper, and 1/4 cup cabbage).
-Sweet Corn
-Pepper
-Cabbage
-Zucchini
-Peas
-Cabbage
-Squash
-Onion

Optional: Cheese

Two tablespoons margarine/butter or oil.

Directions: Pre heat BBQ on low to medium heat. Take one piece of tin foil. Cut up potato and other vegetables and place on tin foil. In summer use vegetables that are in season or use vegetables that you enjoy. Put margarine/butter or oil on top of vegetables. Wrap foil around vegetables, keep packet as flat as possible.
Wrap a second piece of foil around the original packet. Place on BBQ. It takes about 45 minutes. Test to see if it is done by piercing a potato, when fork slides in easily, packets are done. Put cheese on top of vegetables and let melt for 5 minutes. Enjoy.

Daycare Groups

2011-04-18T16:37:00.000-06:00

The Scarecrow Forest is your groups’ solution for a fun affordable outing just outside Steinbach! Several school groups and day cares enjoyed their day with us last year, and we in turn enjoyed hosting this age group of children.

What started 23 years ago as a family hobby of selling pumpkins is now a family friendly destination with something for everyone. The ½ mile gravel path through the bush is a great place for kids to stretch their legs… and their imaginations! The path is lined with fun scarecrow scenes of families, sports players, campers and more. Just off the main path is the farm animal maze, where every turn leads to educational facts about the ten different animals you’re looking for.

Children really thrive with the opportunity to get out of the city into the open space and fresh air. They’re sure to be captivated by something, be it the sandboxes, play structures, petting farm, train rides, corn trail, rope maze or ziplines! The supervisors will enjoy themselves too, relaxing by the Snack Shack in the picnic area under a canopy of trees. There is a lot of fun to be had, and also a lot to learn from spending the day on the farm!

There are two options to accommodate your groups’ interests and budgets.
A: $7.50 per person. General Admission + one extra activity
B: $10.50 per person. General Admission + three extra activities

Book now! Days are already filling up!

General Admission:
Scarecrow path
Petting farm
Simulated milking cow
Farm animal maze
Corn box
Sand box
Play structures
Rope maze
Bales of fun
Corn trail

Extra Activities:
Ziplines
Pumpkin slingshot (8+)
Train rides
Pumpkin painting
Trike track (<6)
Face painting
Water pump duck races

Herbs that we Grow.

2011-04-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

Listed below are the various herbs that we sell. Last year I made a very good ice tea using fresh mint leaves and stevia. Personally I don't cook that much so my knowledge with herbs is what I have read in magazines, on the Internet, in seed catalogs, and in books. This year I hope to do more cooking so I can give people ideas on how to use the herbs and vegetables that I grow.

Basil:

Purple ruffles- has a slight clove scent and flavor.

Sweet Basil- Traditional basil that is used to make pesto or other dishes.

Thai Basil- has a licorice scent and flavor.

Cinnamon Basil- has a sweet cinnamon flavor. Can be used in food dishes and also be used in flower bouquets.

Lemon Basil- sweet and tangy flavor.

Catnip- Cats love this herb. It can also be used in teas.

Cilantro- Has a citrus and nutty flavour and it is used in salsas. The edible seeds are called Coriander.

Dill -We do not sell dill plants as they do not transplant well. We do sell fresh dill off of the home yard and at farmers' markets.

Lavender- The lavender we grow flowers in the first year. Lavender is used in a variety of crafts (potpourris, sachets, soaps, and wreaths).

Mint- Good for making jelly, teas, and in other recipes.

Oregano- Can be used in food dishes or in teas.

Parsley- Has a celery like taste and can be used in soups, as garnishes, and other dishes. Rosemary Can be used in crafts.

Sage- Has a slight lemon flavor and can be used in dressings, sauces, and teas. Can also be used in dried floral arrangements.

Summer Savory- Has a peppery taste. A lot of people use this herb to make a fresh bean soup.

Stevia- A sugar substitute. The leaves can be used dried or fresh.

Thyme- Can be used in teas and food dishes.

Listed below are some of the herb gardens we grow. They are perfect for the patio, deck, or balcony.

Italian herb garden: Sweet basil, oregano, chives, thyme, parsley.

Basil herb garden: all of the basil's that we grow in one pot.

Tea herb garden: Stevia, mint, lemon basil, cinnamon basil.

Lorissa

Getting ready for August 4 2011

2011-03-21T11:21:00.000-06:00

The Scarecrow Forest is getting ready for our August 4th opening. Shirley has been busy every Friday at the local thriftshop finding clothes and interesting props for the scarecrows. It is amazing how much clothing it takes for the entire forest and for people to stuff their own scarecrow. Last year our theme was Farmer Hank and the scenes showed him doing various things around the forest. This year our theme is Families. Every scene is going to depict a scarecrow family doing something different in the forest. One scene is going to depict a family painting Penner Pumpkin's first greenhouse. Another scene is a family going for a leisurely bike ride through the forest. We are going to add a couple of new paths this year so that people who don't want to walk the entire trail can do a small loop and still see some scarecrows. We start stuffing the scarecrows and setting up the scenes in July. It takes us about a week to stuff and set everything up and takes up to 6 people to get all the work down.

Lorissa

How to Bake a Pumpkin

2011-03-12T13:09:00.000-06:00

Baking a pumpkin is very similar to baking squash. If you don't know how to bake squash I will tell you exactly how to bake a pumpkin.

First: Select a pumpkin. Pie pumpkins are bred specially for pies and have less water content than Jack O Lantern pumpkins, hence making a thicker pie. They also are sweeter than a regular pumpkin.

Second: Turn oven on to 325 degrees F. Wash the pumpkin and than cut it in half.

Third: Scoop out the insides. Make sure to get all the seeds out and any stringy material. Save the seeds to bake later on.

Third: Place both halves pulp side down on a baking pan. Cover halves with tin foil and put water in pan so that the bottom is covered.

Fourth: Put in oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. Baking time will depend on the size of the pumpkin and the kind of oven you own. At the 45 minute mark poke the pumpkin with a fork, if it slides in easily the pumpkin is done, if not keep baking the pumpkin til the fork can slide in easily.

Fifth: Once the pumpkin is done and cool enough to touch, peel the skin off the pumpkin and discard, cut the pumpkin into small pieces and place in a blender. Don't put too much pumpkin into the blender at once as the pumpkin won't have a smooth texture. Once the pumpkin is all pureed than you are ready to use it. If you have too much pumpkin puree, it freezes really well (either use bags or containers).

Enjoy your pumpkin muffins, pies, cookies, soup etc.

Lorissa

Snack Shack Menu

2010-10-04T22:03:00.000-06:00

Farmer Sausage burger

Hot dog

Pork on a bun

Chocolate bars

Candy bags

Chips

Coffee

Apple Cider (Original, Hot apple pie, Red Delicious, McIntosh, Caramel)

Pop (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, 7-up, Dr. Pepper, Orange Crush, Brisk Ice Tea, Diet 7-up, Root Beer)

Water

Apple Juice

Hot Chocolate

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin pie

Monster Cookies

Cinnamon Buns

Penner's Lake

2010-09-26T20:24:00.000-06:00

On Friday I decided to go and pick some snake gourds for Saturday. My first error was going at 9 pm at night. So I get to the patch and what do I see….water. I see patches of water every where’s. Not a problem as I have rubber boots along. So I get onto the garden and I start walking. The rows are 300 feet long and I get ¼ down the row when I stop and I ask myself how much do I want to pick these snakes. I’m like keep going. I’m sinking mid calf, tripping over vines, and I can’t see a thing. Also there are hills and dips that I have to navigate in the dark. ½ down the row I have to give myself another pep talk, but I’m finding this to be quite the adventure and finding this to be quite funny. I finally found my snakes and I decided wading through a ditch was easier than going through the garden again.

It rained and rained on Thursday. Penner Pumpkins got over 2 ½ inches. The garden is so saturated that the water just sits on top.

Penner Pumpkins had picked 90 % of our pumpkins the previous week, but there was a few left on the field. After seeing the garden Friday I decided those pumpkins had to come off. I thought we might get an ATV trailer full, but not more than that. The best pumpkins had already been picked.

On Saturday, in the evening, John, Shirley, and I went pumpkin picking on Penner’s Lake. We waded through mud and picked and picked. We needed to have a video camera out there because that was hilarious picking pumpkins in the mud. Somebody had asked me Saturday if they could go pick a pumpkin at the patch. I said it’s a little muddy and wet (really it was very wet and very muddy). When the ATV needed to move forward Shirley and I had to push so it wouldn’t get stuck. Shirley and I ended up not doing any face plants in the mud so that was one bonus. We ended up filling two ATV trailers with our pumpkins. I have to say that was a work out: wading through mud up to my calves, lifting a 20 pound pumpkin, and carrying it

through the mud. A new Penner Pumpkins work-out. I’m happy to say that all the pumpkins are picked, now the gourds need to be picked and the squash. Penner Pumpkins will be selling pumpkins Mon-Friday from 11 am to 7 pm, Sat from 11 am to 5 pm, and Sun 1-5 pm.

Bring a Flashligh Event

2010-09-20T10:25:00.000-06:00

Every Friday in October, from 6:30 pm to 10 pm, you can come and trick or treat down the Scarecrow Forest Path. After you can zip down the zip line and warm up by the fire with a hot chocolate. This is a kid friendly event. Make sure to bring a flashlight. It will happen every October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29. The cost is $10.00 per person. For more information please phone Shirley at 371-5556.

Description of squashs Penner Pumpkins sell

2010-09-11T22:01:00.000-06:00

SQUASH

Sweet dumpling-Has orange flesh and is very sweet and tender. Has orange flesh.

Carnival (multicolor sweet dumpling) -The delicious yellow meat is reminiscent of sweet potatoes and butternut squash and can be baked or steamed then combined with butter and fresh herbs. Also great in soups.

Vegetable Spaghetti-has a noodle like texture. Eat it with your favorite pasta sauce.

Sunshine -Bright orange flesh. Tender stringless flesh, and provides a sweet nutty flavor. Good for pies, soups, or baking,

Grey Ghost -Sweet, thick, and dry.

Buttercup- Has a rich, creamy and sweet flavor. Flesh is orange.

Butternut- sweet, nutty taste. Has orange fleshy pulp. Butternut is a common squash used in making soup because it tends not to be stringy.

Acorn- sweet, yellow-orange flesh. Good for winter storage, keeping several months in a cool dry location such as a cellar.

Red Kuri -Smooth textured flesh. Good for pies. It's meatier than most of the other squashes as it has less water content. Less water content makes the taste that much more rich.

Blue Hubbard-medium dry and sweet. Yellow flesh. Stores well. The extra-hard skins make them one of the best keeping winter squashes. The yellow flesh of these tends to be very moist and longer cooking times in the oven are needed. They are generally peeled and boiled, cut up and roasted, or cut small and steamed or sautéed. It's perfect for pies.

Open Farm Day

2010-09-09T19:45:00.000-06:00

On Sunday September 19 Open Farm Day is happening. This is the first year that this event is happening. Over 35 different agritourism businesses, farms, and greenhouses will open their doors to the public. At the bottom I have included the link to the guide so you know where you can go and the hours of operation. Penner Pumpkins will be part of Open Farm Day. Free special activities include: market garden tour (weather permitting), antique tractor display, pet the goats and cats, and we will have vegetables and fall decorations for purchase. The Scarecrow Forest will cost $7.00 and the extras (zip line, pumpkin/onion sling shot, tractor train ride, and face painting) are $1.50 per activity.

Across the road from Penner Pumpkins is Benner Holsteins Ltd. They have a robotic dairy barn which houses 300 dairy cows. I have included a link at the bottom that gives a brief description of the barn and shows some pictures. I have toured the barn and it is pretty cool to see. My two favorite parts of the barn was the cow back scratchers and seeing the cows lined up to be milked. Also you will be able to pet some calves and play with more cats.

I have included three links at the bottom which gives more information. Hope to see you at the Scarecrow Forest.

www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/financial/agribus/pdf/openfarm2010.pdf

www.pennerpumpkins.com

www.steinbachonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18604&Itemid=395

Odds and ends

2010-09-07T20:48:00.000-06:00

Gift Shop

Penner Pumpkins has a gift shop for you to browse through. We sell wooden deck chairs, neck laces, lazy patio cats, fall decorations, crocheted purses, and wooden bear tables. We also have Christmas wreaths and birch log center pieces for sale. We currently have pie and Cinderella pumpkins for sale. In the next week or two we will pick all of the squashes and they will be available for sale. Come and check it out.

Gazebo rentals

We have a gazebo that can be rented. The price is $50.00 for 1 hour and 45 minutes and we have three different time slots: 11-12:45pm, 1-2:45pm, or 3-4:45pm. Admission to the forest is extra. Groups of 20+ is $7.00 plus you get one free activity (zip line or train ride). Penner Pumpkins currently has two families that are having a family gathering in the forest this fall.

Fire pits

We have private fire pits that can be used. Groups of 20+ can rent it for free and groups under 20 can rent it for $15.00 (no outside food allowed), wood is provided. Reservations are required, phone 371-5556.

Daycare and School groups.

On Tuesday September 7 we had approximately 54 children and 10 adults come out from a daycare in Winnipeg. They had a ton of fun in the Scarecrow Forest. I think the biggest hit was all of our cats. The price is $7.00 per person and includes one activity (train ride or zip line), extra activities are $1.50 each.

Youth Groups

Penner Pumpkins loves having youth groups come and visit the forest. We hide a live scarecrow in the forest and the youth have to try and find this scarecrow. The price also includes a zip line ride. Step off the platform into complete darkness as you zip down the line. After you wander the path and try the zip line sit around the fire pit and roast some marshmallows and sip some hot chocolate. Cost is $8.00 per person and make sure to bring a flash light. To reserve your youth group phone Shirley at 371-5556.

Coloring Contest and Photo Contest

Penner Pumpkins has a coloring contest. The deadline is fast approaching (September 25), make sure you hand in or mail in your entry. Check our website for more details. Another contest we have going on is a photo contest. Submit three of your best photos for a chance to win a prize. Check our website for complete information and rules.

For more information please check out our website at www.pennerpumpkins.com or phone Shirley at 371-5556.

Lorissa

Birthday Parties

2010-08-28T20:37:00.000-06:00

Birthday Parties

Is your children's special day coming up? Come and have their birthday party in the Scarecrow Forest.

The cost is $10.00 per person. This includes admission and three activities which options include: a zip line ride, a tractor train ride, hot dog, chip, and drink, or a craft (example: you could do 3 zip line rides, or two zip line rides and a tractor train ride, etc). Extra activities cost $1.50 per item per person

Included in the price is the forest which has 21 different scarecrow scenes set up along a ½ mile winding trail through the forest. Off of the trail is the farm animal maze (look for the bright red barn) where you can learn interesting facts about different farm animals. At the end of the trail is our huge play structure with four slides and mega sandbox or take a left and find many more things to entertain you such as the Dancing Scarecrow Corn Trail. Also there is the bale maze and pyramid, another mega sandbox, tire structures, and almost everyone’s favorite, the petting farm. Come and meet Blue and Billy the goats or meet Jack and Jill the two very adorable black kittens.

Come and celebrate your birthday in the Scarecrow Forest.

We do allow birthday cakes, but please no other outside food.

For more information or to book you party please check out www.pennerpumpkins.com or phone Shirley at 371-5556.

The Rock Ridge Pickers

2010-08-23T21:32:00.000-06:00

Country Gospel Concert with

The Rock Ridge Pickers

The Scarecrow Forest is proud to host the Rock Ridge Pickers on Sunday August 29th for a country gospel concert. The local rising talent of Rockford Penner will have your toes tapping in no time. Bring your own lawn chairs and relax and enjoy the music while your children enjoy the free face painting and balloons. Whether you are a country fan or you are just looking for something upbeat and interactive for your family, this is the event for you.

The concert is included in the price of your general admission of only $7 each, and all children three and younger enter free. The concert will begin at 2:00 in the afternoon, and there is plenty to entertain you until then. The Scarecrow Forest is a half mile gravel trail winding through acres of bush. The child friendly scarecrow scenes waiting around each corner make it an amusing journey. A shaded picnic area is a great place to enjoy food from the Snack Shack canteen. Zipline rides, tractor train rides, a farm animal maze, play structures, mega sandboxes, bale maze, a petting farm, and a corn trail will entertain you all day. You can even try your hand at Blue-eyed Betsy the simulated milking cow!

The country atmosphere at the Scarecrow forest is the perfect venue for the Rock Ridge Pickers lively music. Come on out and get a dose of the homegrown talent of Rockford Penner, Rhonda Koop, Lyonel Penner, Andy Friesen, and Joel Doerksen. Visit www.pennerpumpkins.com for more information on the Scarecrow Forest or www.therockridgepickers.com for more information about the band.

Amanda

Sweet Corn Festival

2010-08-18T21:25:00.001-06:00

The ScareCrow Forest’s

Sweet Corn Festival

The Scarecrow Forest welcomes you to it’s first ever sweet corn festival, where a free corn on the cob awaits each member of your family. On August 21 and 22, kids and adults alike can play the candy carnival games or enter friendly competitions.

There will be something for every age to enjoy, from simple corn hunts for the younger children, to booths of carnival games like a corn toss, corn baseball and corn crafts. All ages alike can participate in competitions such as a corn on the cob eating contest or corn shucking contest. You can even try your hand at Blue-eyed Betsy the simulated milking cow! Come with sunscreen, hats and energy for a big and exciting day with your family.

The Scarecrow Forest is a half mile gravel trail winding through acres of bush. The child friendly scarecrow scenes waiting around each corner make it an amusing journey. A shaded picnic area is a great place to enjoy food from the Snack Shack canteen. Zipline rides, tractor train rides, a farm animal maze, play structures, mega sandboxes, bale maze, a petting farm, and a corn trail will entertain you all day.

This new seasonal family attraction is the perfect place to take the family to get away from the pressure and noise of the city. Come out and enjoy the fresh air and wholesome activities this fall. Visit us at www.pennerpumpkins.com to find out more.

Amanda

Special Events happening in the Forest

2010-08-15T10:22:00.000-06:00

Hello. At the Scarecrow Forest we have two events that are coming up. The first is the Sweet Corn Festival and the second is the Rock Ridge Pickers concert.

Sweet Corn Festival

August 21- 11 am to 5 pm

August 22- 1 to 5 pm.

This is the first year that Penner Pumpkins is doing the Sweet Corn Festival. This festival will showcase corn. There is sweet corn, Indian corn and field corn. Do you know what the difference is between these three types of corn? Come and find out. These two days Penner Pumpkins will be giving one free corn on the cob to each person. There will also be carnival games, using corn, geared towards children and adults. There will also be competitions such as corn on the cob eating contest or corn shucking contest. Come check it out. Admission is $7.00.

Country and Gospel Country: The Rock Ridge Pickers

August 29- 2pm

This is the first year Penner Pumpkins will be offering a concert. Admission is $7.00, which includes admission to the Forest and the concert. The Rock Ridge Pickers are a local band that are traditional country musicians. Come out and enjoy their music and make sure to bring your own lawn chair. Check out their website out at www.therockridgepickers.com/. Come out at 1 pm and walk through the Forest or enjoy a picnic lunch from the Snack Shack in the Scarecrow Forest (no outside food allowed).

Check back later for more special events happening in September and October.

Lorissa

Vegetables that are ready

2010-08-04T21:44:00.000-06:00

Vegetables that are available:

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Beets

Kohlrabi

Romaine Lettuce

Parsley

Summer Savor

Zucchini

Spaghetti Squash

Cabbage

Flower Bouquets

Statice bouquets

Onions (sweet Spanish and red onions)

Beans

Sweet peppers

Hot peppers

Carrots

Penner Pumpkins will be selling these vegetables off of the home yard. Check our website or facebook for hours that we are open. Friday evenings we will be selling our vegetables at Lilac Resort and on Saturday we are at Pineridge Hollow (we come back at around 2:30 pm) so the supply on the home yard may be limited at these times.

The cucumbers have been doing wonderful. I picked on Monday and Wednesday and probably have over 50 lbs of cucumbers to sell. That tomatoes have also been turning red nicely so there should be a lot of tomatoes for sale.

Lorissa

What can you do at the Scarecrow Forest?

2010-08-04T21:36:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of things to see and do at the Scarecrow Forest. There is the Scarecrow Forest which has 23 different scenes set up. Each scene is very unique and entertaining. New this year is two walk-in sites. Off of the trail is the Farm Animal Maze. Get lost in the forest as you learn about various farm animals and check out the cute animals that Amanda painted.

Once you exit the trail you come upon the play structure. The play structure is built around a hill and has four slides, a tire tunnel, and a fort. Children can spend hours playing here. Also there are two giant sandboxes which children can dig in.

Another thing you can do is get your face painted by Amanda or paint a pumpkin in the fall.

The zip lines are a favorite. The Lion zip line is 22 feet tall and the Bunny zip line is 12 feet tall. The total length is 200 feet. Zip down the line and get a birds view of the garden, the petting farm, and the cows that may be watching the action.

The train ride is an attraction that the whole family can enjoy together. A 1946 John Deere M tractor pulls a train of 5 cars through the forest. The train ride lasts about 15 minutes.

Watch some mini pumpkins fly at the pumpkin slingshot. This attraction will open once the pumpkins are ready (which should be at the end of August).

New this year is the Dancing Scarecrow Corn Trail. Take a walk through some corn and feel the leaves brush against you. This is a path and not a maze so there’s no need to get worried that you may get lost and never find your way out.

Children and adults love our petting farm. Some people have spent hours petting the goats and kittens. New this year are two puppies named Tank and Dixie. We also have two roosters named Gourd and Pumpkin. The goats are Blue and Billy.

Near the zip lines there are a couple of tire play structures set up. The children can have fun crawling and climbing on these.

This is what you can do in the Scarecrow Forest. Come check us out and have some family fun in the Scarecrow Forest.

Lorissa

Anatomy of a Scarecrow

2010-07-26T20:48:00.000-06:00

1. Hunt through second hand stores for wild clothing, plaid shirts, overalls, sleepers, and cool or interesting looking props during the winter.
2. A week or two before opening day buy a ton of straw from a farmer.
3. Assemble clothing. Either making completely outrageous looking outfits or according to a theme (we have a disco scene this year).
4. Tie shirt ends and pant ends. If standing put in stand. Than stuff, stuff, stuff, and stuff.
5. When done we load the scarecrows onto a trailer and drop them off in the forest.
6. At each scene we arrange the scarecrows and add the props.
7. Than Lorissa goes around and makes up a short story for each scene.

Viola, you have a scarecrow bird watching, a scarecrow with 6 children screaming while she tries to iron and make supper, a scarecrow tending his plot of crops, plus many more.

If you would like to stuff a scarecrow for your own yard we specific days you can stuff your own scarecrow or if you would like to make one sooner phone us and we can arrange a day. Check us out at www.pennerpumpkins.com. Penner Pumpkins is also on Facebook.

Herding Goats

2010-07-18T17:44:00.001-06:00

How hard can herding two goats be? Apparently quite hard. I should have known it was going to be a challenge. One day we let them out of their pen and what did they go for? The nice green grass or the nice green leaves? No, they had to go for the pepper plants. Thankfully they only got a leaf or two before we shooed them off. It was Saturday and Shirley and I had gone to Pineridge Hollow market and TJ was busy on the home yard. He didn’t let them out because the sky looked ominous and if there was going to be a storm it would be much safer for them to be in their pen. They love being outside of their pen.

When Shirley and I got home the goats were driving us nuts with their bleating. We were trying to clean up and get organized for the next market. TJ was on the Farm Animal maze so I though how hard can it be to get them to their grazing area. First I had to unnail part of the fence. Not a hard task, unless you have two goats head butting you in their desperate attempt to get out. Finally I had an opening in the fence and both goats tried to get out at the same time. Pretty funny watching them because it wasn’t working to come out. I pushed one back in and one came out.

Goal number one keep them away from the plants. Goal number two try to get them to run in the right direction. The goats took off and the chase was on. First they went in the wrong direction, but I quickly corrected that. Than they found a nice juicy green patch of grass and refused to budge. I grabbed the dominant one and started running. Than they found a second patch of juicy grass and had to try it. I decided to concentrate on one goat (the dominant one) and maybe the other one would follow. Didn’t happen, apparently the non-dominate one got sick of being a follower. I managed to get one goat tied up. Than I had to go find the next one.

Thankfully he didn’t decide to make a beeline into the greenhouse and chomp on some tomatoes or cucumbers. Instead he found some nice leaves. I bribed him with a tree branch and attempted to lure him to his tying spot. Only problem was his tying spot had changed, but I didn't know this so I brought him to the wrong spot. I than had to attempt to get him around our little garden. Than he spotted the cherry tomatoes and made a bee line and I made a bee line for him and to rescue the cherry tomatoes. Finally I got him tied up. I was dripping in sweat and totally out of breath, but the goats were now happy.

How easy is it to herd goat? I found out not that easy. The goats are nameless at this point, but will have names come August 1. I won’t be naming them because my ideas of names are: No Name 1 and No Name 2 (these are two of the cats you may see at Penner Pumpkins) or I name them according to a characteristic: Fluffy, Blackie, or Calico. Not very original. Come on down after August 1 and see the goats that gave me a good cardio work-out that Saturday.

Markets

2010-07-16T11:08:00.000-06:00

Today is the Lilac market. Penner Pumpkins will be selling onions, cabbage, zucchini, potatoes, herb plants, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and hot peppers.

Tomorrow is the Pineridge market. Penner Pumpkins will be going this week. We will be selling the same as below. Some vegetables may not be available if they sell out at Lilac. We will, though, for sure have onions, cabbage, flower bouquets, and herb plants. Our vegetables are slow in getting ready because of all ...the rain so we don't have as much as we would like, but what can you do with mother nature.

2 weeks and 4 days til opening day.

2010-07-15T10:34:00.000-06:00

Penner Pumpkins is busy getting ready to open on August 1st. We will be open at 11 am. Amanda is our painter and does amazing work. She is busy painting our animals for the farm animal maze and for our milking cow. Last year she painted animals for our play structure. Come check out her work. TJ is busy cleaning up the path. Leveling it out, chopping trees, clearing trees and grass. Brady is busy working on the farm animal maze. He's clearing out the trees and making sure it is very twisty and confusing. The other day I took a walk through it and told TJ to stay around so he could find me if I got lost. Shirley, the boss, is making sure everything is running smoothly. She's also busy watering our tomatoes and cucumbers in the greenhouse and planting the rest of the flower containers. She's also making sure all the odd and ends are coming together. Donna Marie is our website developer. She does an amazing job (check it out at www.pennerpumpkins.com). Than there's me, Lorissa. I keep the blog and facebook updated. I weed the garden and go to our two farmers' markets. In fall if you come buy a pumpkin I will most likely be the one selling it to you (if I'm not working at my other job).

On Tuesday Penner Pumpkins will be stuffing our scarecrows. That is always a very fun, but itchy job. I love seeing the scarecrows take shape. My favorite part is setting up the scenes and deciding which props go where. My second favorite part is making up the stories that go with each scene. Each year I make up a story that explains each scene in an entertaining way.

Hope to see you at the Scarecrow Forest.

Markets

2010-07-15T10:29:00.000-06:00

Hello. Today is the Steinbach Farmers' market. Penner Pumpkins has decided to drop this one and instead focus on the Lilac and Pineridge Hollow markets. Our produce has been slow in getting ready. This Tuesday we had 1 and 1/2 inches of rain on top of that other moisture we had this year. We will be going to Lilac and Pineridge Hollow. Penner Pumpkins does sell off of the home yard. Phone Shirley for hours. For directions and a phone number check out our website at www.pennerpumpkins.com.

Farmers' Market

2010-07-07T19:56:00.000-06:00

Hello. July 8th is the Steinbach Farmers' Market from 3-7:30 pm. Penner Pumpkins will be selling cabbages, onions, lily bouquets, herbs, lettuce, herb plants and containers, and tomato plants.

On July 9 Penner Pumpkins will be at Lilac Resort from 3 to 7 pm. Penner Pumpkins will be selling the same but we will also be selling tomatoes and cucumbers (a few pounds).

Rain, rain go away.

2010-07-04T20:40:00.000-06:00

Hello. Penner Pumpkins garden has had a ton of rain this spring and summer. There will be no peas for the second year in a row. The corn is looking great. I have been selling a lot of cabbages all ready. Our greenhouse tomatoes need some heat and than they'll be ready. I've been selling a few cucumbers. The lilies are ready to be beautiful in your home. I have also have a lot of herb plants for sale. Stevia, Thyme, Lemon basil, Cinnamon basil, Sweet basil, Thai basil, Purple ruffle basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Lavender, Catnip, Parley, Summer Savory, and Spearmint. I also have a variety of herb gardens in containers and have three tomato plants left to sell. See you at a Farmers' Market.

Welcome

2010-07-04T20:34:00.000-06:00

Hello and welcome to Penner Pumpkins and the Scarecrow Forest blog. On this blog I will keep you updated on the various events that Penner Pumpkins will be attending, the various activities happening at the Scarecrow Forest, and the produce that is available for that week of Farmers' Markets. Thank you for visiting and check back often.

Current Markets:
-Steinbach from 3 to 7:30 pm every Thursday.
-Lilac Resort from 4 to 7 pm every Friday.
-Pineridge Hollow 9 am to 1 pm every Saturday.

Check out our website at www.pennerpumpkins.com. Penner Pumpkins is also on Facebook.