History of Penner Pumpkins and the Scarecrow Forest Part 1

The Scarecrow Forest is turning 5 this year.  The Scarecrow Forest opened its doors in 2009.  Penner Pumpkins, on the other hand, we aren’t sure when it started.

Penner Pumpkins started off as a hobby.  It was a way for three girls (Donna, Lorissa, and Brendalee) to make a little money.  I stay it started in 1990 because that is when we moved to our current location.  John, on the other hand, says it started a couple of years before 1990. So I guess  Penner Pumpkins is 20 and some odd years old.  Us girls would sell pumpkins at the end of the driveway and at Highway 12.  As we grew older TJ and Shirley took over.  In 2005 John, Shirley, and TJ went to St. Norbert’s Farmers’ Market.  When the director of the market came by and asked for their business name the three of them looked at each other and TJ blurted out “Penner Pumpkins”.  We went to St. Norbert’s Farmers’ Market for a few years and then stopped because it just got too busy for us. 

Lorissa transplanting.

 In 2008 we put up a 20 foot by 80 foot greenhouse.  We use the greenhouse to get a head start with our vegetables and use it to grow tomatoes and cucumbers.  We now grow an acre of vegetables, but our  main crop is still pumpkins, gourds, and Indian Corn.  Last year (2012) we expanded our acreage and now have 4-5 acres of pumpkins, gourds, and Indian Corn and still one acre of vegetables.  We sell our vegetables at Pineridge Hollow’s Farmers’ Market on Saturdays and on our home yard.  For more information on what vegetables are available and our hours please check our facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/PennerPumpkins.

Lorissa and Shirley at Pineridge Hollow Farmers' Market.

 Lorissa Penner

We all can learn something new.

On Thursday John, Shirley, and Lorissa went to the Manitoba Direct Farm Marketing Conference in Dauphin.  The ride in was really interesting.  Between Headingly and Portage La Prairie we saw three cars in the ditch and after Neepawa we drove in a snow storm.  We arrived safe and had an enjoyable conference.

Three things I learned or enjoyed were:

1.  I learned a new word: Agri-tainment.  I have always heard of Agri-tourism and that word never seemed to fit with what Penner Pumpkins and the Scarecrow Forest is doing.  We are looking for new customers, but we mostly rely on our repeat customers.  For more information on what agri-tainment is check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agri-tainment.

2. On Friday evening we got to experience Ukrainian culture.  We learned about the historic Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection.  I love history so I found this really interesting.  We also learned an Ukrainian Polka.  I have two left feet and I still have two left feet, but it was fun anyways.  We than go to decorate bread.  Afterwards we had a delicious Ukrainian feast.  This experience is available for groups.  For more information phone Tourism Dauphin at 204-622-3216.

3.  We need to be fluid and change, if change is necessary.  If something is not working than we need to change what is not working.  A lot of times we resist change, even though change is necessary.


Lorissa Penner

Daycares and School Trips

The Scarecrow Forest is now booking day cares, schools, and group tours on the farm!  Available May 21 to October 25.  The Scarecrow Forest is your farm for family friendly fun!

We have two different options available.  Option A- General Admission (includes all farm activities) and 1 extra activity $8.00 per person or Option B-General Admission (includes all farm activities) and 3 extra activities $11.50 per person.

Farm Activities:

• ·         Petting Farm
• ·         Rope maze, 
•       Simulated milking cow
•       Bales of fun with slide
• ·         Playground with five slides and way more
• ·         Scarecrow Forest Path
• ·         Corn box, sand boxes, and tire structure
• ·         Corn trail (in season) ½ acres

·         Plus much more

    Extra attractions:

• Zip line
• Tractor Train Ride
• Water Pump Duck Races
• Pumpkin painting (in season)
• Corn Cannon

The field trip is at your own pace.  Divide your day care or group into groups and work your way through our different farm activities.  For schools we offer a talk on the life cycle of a pumpkin and a talk on chickens.  The children also get to hold an egg and chick.  Hotdog, chips, and drink available for $3.75, must be pre-ordered and minimum order of 20 meals.  Fire pits available on request.

 

At our farm plan to spend 3+ hours as there is a lot to do and a lot to see.  We have modern restrooms and we have an outdoor and indoor picnic areas that can seat over 150 people. 

  

For more information call or e-mail Shirley Penner at 204-371-5556 or e-mail at  

shirleypenner@pennerpumpkins.com.  Check our website at www.pennerpumpkins.com.

Rustic Country Wedding Venue

Looking for a unique place to have a wedding?  Consider having your wedding at the Scarecrow Forest.  Have your ceremony outside and your reception inside our barn room.  For more information phone Shirley at 204-371-5556 or call her to take a tour of our place.

Includes:
-Different outdoor areas to have the wedding ceremony
-Indoor reception area
-Staff to assist with moving table and chairs and setting up the buffet
-Table and chairs
-Buffet style meal.  Options include: coleslaw, baked beans, garden salad, Greek salad, vegetable platter, pulled pork or pork burgers, hamburgers. End of August corn on the cob or squash.  Dessert: rhubard crisp with ice cream, Deluxe ice cream sundae bar, pies with ice cream, or cookie platters.
-Restrooms

Not included:
-Sound/PA system and DJ
-Liquor License
-Wedding Cake

Fruit, herbs, and water

I was surfing around on the web last week and I stumbled onto this website http://www.theyummylife.com/Flavored_Water#EmbedRecipe_251.  These waters sounded really good so I had to try to make a few myself.  Strawberries are now in season and blueberries or Saskatoon's will soon be in season so they would work perfectly in these waters.  Also with it being so hot it can be hard to drink the amount of water you need and these concoctions spice up your water, making it easier to down the water.  They aren't sweet, but take on the flavor of the fruit or herb. 

Directions

Supplies needed: 2 quart pitcher or jar with lid; muddler or wooden spoon

General formula for whatever fruit/herb combo you desire.
1. If using herbs, add a sprig of fresh herbs to jar/pitcher; press and twist with muddler or handle of wooden spoon to bruise leaves and release flavor; don’t pulverize the herbs into bits.
2. Add approx. 2 cups of fruit to jar/pitcher; press and twist with muddler or handle of wooden spoon, just enough to release some of the juices
3. Fill jar/pitcher with ice cubes.
4. Add water to top of jar/pitcher.
5. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

The kinds I tried were a strawberry chocolate mint, lime cucumber, and a citrus water.  For the strawberry chocolate mint I used strawberries and two sprigs of chocolate mint.  For the lime cucumber I used a lime, small cucumber, sprig of lemon balm, and a sprig of rosemary.  For the citrus I used  an orange, lime, lemon basil, and orange mint.  I was going to use lemons in my waters, but the grocery store was sold out of lemons.  My favorite water was the strawberry one.  If you are wondering where you can get the herbs from, I sell herbs at the Pineridge Farmers' Market.  The website gives other waters you could try.

Lorissa

Gardening Lingo

I love taking pictures and during a conference a speaker suggested telling a story or making a timeline using pictures.  This spring I have been taking pictures and posting them on facebook.  As I have been posting them on facebook I realized that gardeners have their own lingo and most people probably don't understand what we are saying.  Below I will list some Penner Pumpkin lingo and techniques we use.

Milk jugs-  We use these in our garden at the beginning of the season.  We love going into our garden as early as possible, but there is always the weather to work around.  One way we have done this is by using milk jugs around our plants.  We fill them up with water and put them by each plant.  The theory is that during the day the water will heat up and at the night the heat will be released.  This keeps the plants from freezing.  Also if we plant stuff out in April we make sure the plants can stand cold nights (so we don't plant out tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc).  We seed our peas, and plant cabbage and potato plants.

Black plastic-  We use this both in our greenhouse and outside in our garden.  We use plastic to keep the weeds down.  Also it keeps the plants wetter and it provides a bit of heat to the plants.  This year we put down plastic on our entire pumpkin patch.

Floating row covers-  This is a special cloth that keeps heat in and keeps bugs out.  This allows us to plant earlier.  Our cabbages like attracting bugs.

I have been thinking a lot about what we do at Penner Pumpkins and the techniques we use and I realized that gardening can be quite complicated.  I have been doing it for 20 + years so it makes sense, but a newcomer would be quite confused.  Pumpkins, gourds, and squash can't be planted side by side, we have to make sure there is a couple of rows, usually we plant corn, to separate them.  Also Indian corn and sweet corn cannot be planted side by side because it would make the sweet corn inedible.  Also some varieties of sweet corn cannot be planted side by side.  Also corn needs to be seeded in blocks (we usually do 4-5 row) so that there is good pollination.  Every year we get new seed catalogues and they always give us good tips for the garden.  With pumpkins we use many varieties so that we can have blue, orange, white, warted, flat, red, big, small, or pie pumpkins.  I love gardening and I love seeing what comes out of the garden.

Lorissa Penner

Cat Tales

At Penner Pumpkins we love animals.  Growing up we always had cats and dogs.  On our home yard we usually have around 15 cats.  We have this many because of the number of buildings on our yard.  All of our cats have names and very unique personalities.

We use to have a cat named Charlie.  This cat decided that the best place to have her kittens was our front step.  We decided this was not a good place for her to have kittens so we started putting her into a building to have her kittens.  When ever this cat was ready to have her kittens she would meow non-stop til we let her into the building.  One year she had five kittens and we had two rabbits.  One of the rabbits gave birth and died so we moved the bunny into Charlies box.  One day I came in and I hear a kitten meowing.  Charlie had moved four kittens and the bunny and left one kitten behind.  She knew she had five kittens and she moved five animals.

On May 2 Molly had four kittens.  She gave birth to one on a shelf and than decided that was not a good idea and moved to a different location.  She didn't move the one kitten when she went to the new location.  We (Shirley and I) were showing Joy, a person who gives us advice on our Agritourism business, around the zip line area.  I heard a kitten screaming and went to investigate and found the kitten, I didn't see the mother so I assumed she was out somewhere.  I think kittens are extremely cute so I showed Joy the kitten and she found the mother.  I didn't want to move the kitten because the mother than could abandon all the kittens.  Joy felt sorry for the kitten and moved it to the mother.  The mother didn't abandon the kittens and the abandoned kitten is doing fine.

Written by Lorissa