Bring a Flashlight Event

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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