squash – New England's Narrow Road

Tenney farm stand — Tenney Farms, Antrim New Hampshire

One day recently I took a drive over to Antrim (NH) to get some photos around Gregg Lake. On the way home I had to stop at my favorite farm stand and see what they had to offer. I had my camera, so I decided to take some pictures while I shopped.

Tenney Farm is located on Rt. 202 (Main St. in Antrim) so you can’t miss it if you are driving through the area. When I lived in Antrim, I bought all my perennials there. In fact I still go there to replenish my yard each year as their plants always do well.

But Fall is possibly the best time to visit the farm. When I was there, the ice cream stand was still open, they still had corn for sale. And of course they had pumpkins and squash… lots and lots of squash.

squash and gourds for sale — Just inside the door

I was in a bit of a hurry to get home so I didn’t buy as much as I should have – the peppers were so beautiful. All I can manage to grow is jalepenos, so I should have loaded up from the pepper display where I think they offered every kind imaginable. I didn’t even see the eggplant but I’ll get some when I return there this week.

farm vegetables peppers — The Veggie Display

What amazed me the most was the variety of pumpkins / squash. I bought an acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash and have eaten the acorn which was delicious. I don’t know the names of everything, but I did discover that the flattened pumpkins are called “Cinderella”.

cinderella pumpkins — Cinderella Pumpkins

I read on Tenney’s FaceBook page that their hours are changing for fall, and then they will eventually close for winter. I think they are open until around Thanksgiving, because they sell turkeys.

For now, I am enjoying the squash and the fall harvest.

Fall is a great season for the obvious reason of viewing bright leaf colors, but it’s also a time to cook some great fall food that helps warm the house.

I’ve let the kids turn the heat on upstairs these past two nights, but I am cringing at having to burn oil in September! Downstairs it stays a balmy 60 degrees 😉

I’m a little distressed at my lack of fire wood this season. I had some dead trees cut down on my acre of land which I planned to use in the wood stove. It turns out that much of that wood is too old to be of much use. I had some wood left over from last year, but I don’t have a whole lot. If the power goes out, and we all worry about ice storms, I will burn through my supply pretty fast. No worries, I have coats and hats. I’ve made it through power outages before.

I haven’t had the money to finish siding the back of the house, so already it’s cold inside my wall microwave. My kitchen cabinets could double as a refrigerator in winter and I guess it will be this way for a while to come.

But with autumn nearly here officially, and the temps overnight in the 30’s, I’ve started to enjoy cooking again, as it warms us up. Winter squash is such a fabulous food and it has to bake for a while. I cut mine in half and bake it cut side down for about 45 minutes or more. Then flip it right side up, add some butter and continue baking until soft. Scoop it out and add brown sugar, salt and pepper. It’s yummy and healthy.

The apple picking season is also upon us, or nearly. The peaches come first and then certain types of apples, and I’ll take a trip to Norway Hill Orchard to gather a big bag of macs soon. Then I can further warm my home with pie baking and crisp making.

Once the pumpkins are carved and the guts removed, I will dig through the mush and pull out the seeds to crisp up. I look forward to that too.

I see the oven being used for more than just meals for a while to come. And maybe I won’t need mittens when working in the kitchen.