Harvest Season

Here's a very familiar view of the farm fields by the rail yard...

Last I mentioned this field, Sam and I were wondering what they were growing here. Several years ago, it was strawberries. The following year, it was pumpkins. Same with the year following. Then it went back to strawberries, then back to pumpkins. This year, I guess they split the difference. The eastern half of the field (on the left) is all strawberries, the western half, all pumpkins.

In (pumpkin) years past, it seemed like they never picked the pumpkins. The pumpkins would still be in the fields long after the first frost - maybe even beyond. This year, for the first time, we saw a couple of trucks in the distance riding slowly through the fields. There were folks walking on either side of the truck tossing pumpkins to the guys riding in the back of the truck. They, in turn, loaded the pumpkins into large boxes on the flatbed, the kind of boxes you see on display in supermarkets this time of year. 

I don't know when these guys started picking the pumpkins but they were still at it when Sam and I were on our way back. Judging by their speed and the size of the field, I'm guessing they might be done some time around mid-February.

A while back, Sam and I were also walking past the farm fields over in Neighboring Town #2. Back then, we were wondering what the crop was in those fields, as well (way back here). Hard to believe that was three months ago.

Turns out it was a mixture of yellow squash and zucchini...

I don't know anything about farming but it seems to me they've picked everything except the yellow squash and zucchini. Not sure what the plan is here but at least the mystery of what the crop was has been solved.