84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 28,1989
Pumpkin Season
(Continued from Page B 2)
Kathy sowed red beet seeds in
flats of small cells of soil. Cus
tomers just cannot seem to get
enough red beets, she says. The
inside head start, planting one
seed per cell, was a real boon to
germination and yields. She has
had similar success with green
house starting of onions in indivi
dual cells.
Spring sales open in early April,
with bunches of fresh asparagus.
Lehman’s use the honor system
for their asparagus customers, and
rarely find that a bunch disappears
without the proper payment left
behind.
Pumpkin season, however, has
brought a few more problems.
One morning a few years ago,
they woke to find a picking of
their nicest pumpkins missing.
And just recently, their 175-pound
pumpkin - largest at the York Fair
this year - which they were dis
playing at the stand “got away,”
with only drag marks left behind.
As strawberries ripen, the Leh
man stand swings into full gear.
Supplemental berries are bought
in if their home crop is not suffi
cient to meet demand. Continuing
rains this past season cut heavily
into the strawberry yields, as well
as that of many other produce
crops.
To alert customers to their first
strawberry sales many years ago,
Kathy ran a three-day ad in the
Columbia newspaper. The
response surpassed her wildest
expectations. Opening at 10 a.m.,
they were out of berries in three
hours.
“We put up a sign that said
we’d have more berries the next
day - and went home,” says Kathy
with a grin. “Except for the aspar
agus ad we use every year, that
was the extent of our advertising.
Everything has been word of
mouth.”
Sweet com is a staple of the
stand, with a few late plantings
still yielding into mid-October.
The perennially-popular Silver
Queen is a customer favorite,
although Kathy has converted
some to a preference for the new
“super-sweet” types. These hold
their sugar content for several
days after picking. A white super
sweet Lehmans tried this year,
dubbed “How Sweet It Is,” won
over some customers after just one
meal.
“We guarantee our sweet com
and our melons,” Kathy explains
of their commitment to quality
produce. Such customer satisfac
tion is what keeps loyal buyers
returning, some from fairly distant
parts of the county.
Halloween season brings fami
lies out together to browse for that
just-perfect pumpkin from dis
plays spanning several wagons
and the stand.
‘That’s something families can
do together,” says Kathy, who
enjoys watching children debate
the serious business of pumpkin
selection. “If one gets a pumpkin
for a dollar, then a brother or sister
may figure they can have two
fifty-cent pumpkins - just to keep
everything equal.”
Cost of holiday decorations,
such as pumpkins or com stalks or
Indian com, is something custom
ers rarely question, Kathy notes.
But occasionally, she does hear
comments on the price of food
produce.
“Crafty” items are also popular,
like the wooden scarecrows the
Lehmans cut out and Kathy paints.
Nadine is a talented -crafter, and
designs decorative wreaths,
baskets and “country look” items
for the stand.
Often, items they make or
arrange specifically to decorate
the sales areas catch the attention
of customers. Though they offer
bulk selection of ears of decora
tive “Indian” com, for instance,
most buyers will instead select a
pre-tied grouping of three of the
colorful ears.
In spite of basketfulls of mini
pumpkins through which buyers
can sort for size or shape, the first
to sell are usually those the Leh
man’s decoratively display on the
spokes of the pumpkin wagon’s
wheels. And, a wagon rounded
full of bright-colored, ornamental
gourds sometimes makes selec
tion of just the right ones a lengthy
decision for customers.
But it is this customer enthu
siasm and loyalty which seem to
add to a genuine enjoyment and
pride the Lehman’s take in their
produce business. Some ten acres
are cropped to vegetables and the
orchard, which includes peaches,
apples, nectarines and plums.
Although they do hire neighbor
hood youngsters to assist with
picking some crops, the family
does most of it themselves. Every
one pitches in to milk and feed in
early morning, and afternoon, and
helps as needed with the veget
ables and fruits.
Brian handles more of the dairy
and farm work, but his wife,
Nadine, is at the produce stand
everyday. Their daughter Brandy,
4, enjoys helping fill containers
with sturdy produce like apples
and onions, but opts for waterme
lon as her favorite to taste. Her sis
ter, one-year-old Brittany, is still a
bit young for a job at the stand.
Barry is employed by the Ford-
New Holland Equipment manu
facture, and he travels extensively
in trouble-shooting and helping
develop new farm machinery.
Debbie works for Royer’s Flower
Shop, but helps feed the dairy herd
and attend to the produce busi
ness. Bemie, 16, is a student at
Eastern High School, and assists
with whatever needs done -
including unloading watermelons.
Two years ago, Ellsworth and
Kathy built a new home next to
the produce stand, whHe Brian and
Nadine moved into the farmhouse.
Their daughters are now the fifth
generation of Lehman’s here,
where Guernsey cows are a tradi
tion and the produce business
once again a valued diversifica
tion for this family farm.
KEN CLUGSTON
(717) 665-6775
CRAFT-BILT
CONSTRUCTION INC.
FARM-HOME BUILDING
1242 Breneman Road
MANHEIM, PA. 17545
PH: (717) 665-4372
BUILDING & REMODELING FOR
DAIRY RESIDENTIAL
SWINE POLE BUILDINGS
BEEF STORAGE
GOOD FOOD OUTLET STORES
See Our Original Line Of Golden Barrel Products Plus All
Kinds Of Nuts, Beans, Candies, Etc. At Reduced Prices
* * CORN SYRUP * BAKING
7 * PANCAKE SYRUP MOUSSES
* PURE MAPLE SYRUP * BARBADOS
* SORGHUM SYRUP MOUSSES
&T, * TABLE SYRUP ★BUCK STRAP
- /T“ * coconut on. mousses
. „ " f ,1 * CORN OIL * HONEY
v V • •• ;■ h]L * cottonseed on. * peanut butter
- JfcA\ * PEANUT OH. * FUNNEL CAKE MIX
* SOYBEAN OIL * SHOOFLY PIE MIXES
* 100 LB. BAG GRANUUTED SUGAR
if your local store docs not have it,
CALL OR WRITE FOR FREE
BROCHURE & PRICES
WE, UPS DAILY
Processors Of Syrups, Molasses.
Cooking Oil, Funnel Cake Mix
& Shoofly Pie Mixes
(With or Without Syrup)
Good Food Outlet
Located At
L&S SWEETENERS
388 E. Main St., Leola, PA 17540
717-656-3486 1-800-633-2676
GOOD FOOD OUTLET
Located At Good Food, Inc.
W, Main St., Box 160, Honey Brook, ?A 19344
215-273-3776 1-800-327-4406
Ida’s
Notebook
Ida Kisser
The end of October and leaves
everywhere except on the trees.
They cover the lawn, the garden
and the cars. I’m always glad for a
wheelbarrow to cart them off to be
dumped.
Lily leaves are still quite green
but I know it is time to dig them up
and store them until next spring.
The dahlia roots take so much
space as I pul them in baskets in
the cellar.
The green beans have reached a
point where we are able to eat all
that 1 pick and I no longer freeze
them. In fact about the only things
that I freeze just now is chard,
kale, brussel sprouts and'
applesauce.
Since I have some extra time,
I’ve been baking several kinds of
muffins. Some are heavy and con
tain lots of oatmeal while others
are light like a cake. We eat most
of them for breakfast as I think
that bought cereal is quite
expensive.
Another chore just now is
patching overalls and jeans; it is
either that or buy new ones. Some
pairs have a half-dozen patches
but that is better than holes. There
are always buttons that need to be
replaced too.
Yet while I’m thinking of all of
these mundane things, I spy some
items on a table nearby and pleas
ant memories take over. There is a
beautiful paperweight from a
jewelry store in Lucerne, Switzer
land and a tiny plate on a stand
from Paris, France. A tiny music
box, dated 1874, plays two tunes
and was my father’s. It was bro
ken when I got it but two of my
sons repaired it for me. Then there
is the antique lamp that my
daughter gave as a gift
Our minds race from one
thought to another as we go about
our day’s work. But, it is wise to
occasionally remind ourselves of
the pleasant things in our lives and
keep an optimistic outlook.
->NEW ITEMKf-
HIGH-FRUCTOSE 55
16 oz. Jars
• Instead Of 1 Full Cup Sugar - Use %
To 4/5 Cup 55 (depending on taste)
High Fructose 55 Can Bs Used As A Liquid
Swestener For Pancakes, Cones, Chocolate,
Tea, Other Drinks
Usa As A Cover Syrup For Frozen Fruits.
Use In Baking, In Jellies - Many Other Uses!
Stop By For A Free Taste!
n
SOL
IT
WflfH
A
LANCASTER
FARMING
CLASSIFIED