Holland • Springfield Town Money Saver | October FOM 2021

fall harvest

Fruits and Vegetables

Thefall harvest is a great time to indulge in some freshly picked foods. Here are some fruits and vegetables that are ripe for the picking in fall.

APPLES: Apple-picking season typically begins in late summer and extends into fall. Gala apples tend to be harvested in late summer, while Granny Smith apples may be best picked in early October.

BROCCOLI: Fresh broccoli makes a healthy addition to any dinner table, and broccoli has a lengthy harvesting season. It’s possible to pick fresh broccoli as late as October. Pick it in the morning when the buds of the head are rm and tight.

CABBAGE: If you're looking to do some late fall picking, cabbage can survive under snow without being harmed, making it an ideal late fall vegetable. Spoiled outer leaves can be pulled away a er harvesting without a ecting the quality of the remaining cabbage.

PUMPKINS: anks in part to Halloween decor and the popularity of pumpkin pie as a anksgiving dessert, pumpkins are synonymous with the fall harvest. And pumpkin picking season aligns perfectly with each of these holidays, typically beginning in early or mid-September and extending deep into October.

Fall is a great time of year to pick fresh fruits and vegetables at a local farm.

Halloween!

Halloween is a day to don costumes while going door-to-door seeking treats from neighbors. These figures and statistics paint a picture of just how popular Halloween is.

• The average family will spend $86.79 on the festivities

• There are 41.1 million trick-or-treaters aged 5 to 14

• Ninety-five percent of people plan to purchase candy for Halloween. The next most popular purchase is decorations (74 percent)

• Forty-five percent of respondents planned to carve a pumpkin for Halloween

• The top-ranked costumes for children are princess and superhero. Adults planning to dress up are likely to go as a witch or a vampire

• The ubiquitous pumpkin spice starts to turn up as soon as there are hints of autumn. $6.9 million is spent on pumpkin spice products each year Halloween is frighteningly popular. Lots of people take part in the spending and antics of this entertaining day!

Just how popular is Halloween...

Gourds, Squashes & Pumpkins

Oh my!

Nature’s beauty is unsurpassed this time of year, and pmpkins, gourds and squashes on display only add to that colorful melange. ere are are 800 species that belong to this family. While they share many of the same properties, these fruits each have their own unique attributes.

SQUASH

Squashes come in summer and winter varieties. Winter ones do not actually grow in the winter; in fact, they’re harvested in late summer and early fall, but the name references the hard shell casing that protects the tender pulp inside. Zucchini are summer squash because their outer esh is tender, while butternut, acorn, spaghetti, and hubbard squashes are winter squashes because they feature a tough skin.

GOURDS

Gourds are essentially ornamental squashes; they aren’t cultivated for eating. Instead they are bred to look beautiful and unique in autumn centerpieces. Types of gourds include autumn wing gourd, warted gourds, turban gourds, and bottle gourds.

PUMPKINS

Pumpkins come in ornamental and edible varieties. Even though all pumpkins can be consumed, some taste better than others. Small pumpkins tend to be decorative because they do not have enough meat inside to make them worthy of cooking. However, sugar pumpkins are best for baking and cooking favorite recipes.

e festive hues and avors of squashes, gourds and pumpkins are one more thing that makes autumn special.