Bio-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 28, 1995 \ a JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent WRIGHTSVILLE (York Co.) Question: How many pies can you make from a 325-pound pumpkin? t Answer: Lots! The huge, 325-pound Giant Pumpkin contest winner from the York Fair may never become pies. But the Ellsworth Lehman family, of Wrightsville, .grew so many other giant pumpkins that they have plenty of other ones for pies. In fact, the Lehmans also won sec ond place in the Giants contest, with a 324-pounder, and third place, with one that weighed an even 300 pounds. They entered another in the fair’s regular pump kin class and won that, too! Actually, a whole farm-wagon load of huge pumpkins sits on the lawn at the Lehman family’s road side market near the Wrightsville exit of Route 30 in eastern York County. That wagonload of pump kin giants, as well as several big ones sitting nearby on the lawn, have become a fun playground for the Lehmans’ grandchildren. And there are even more still waiting to be harvested from the 20 stalks planted on the family’s dairy and produce farm. The five cousins all live at or close to the Lehman farm, and helped to keep watch over the growing pumpkin crop this past summer. They are Brandy Leh man, age 10; Brittany Lehman, 7; Melissa Darcy, S; Stephanie Bums, 4, and Courtney Lehman, 3. Last spring, they watched the special, large seeds poke through the soil in pots started in the farm’s greenhouse. Then, the plants were set out in rich soil, surrounded by plantings of sunflowers. The sun flowers were planted as food for the groundhogs, so the rodents did rot eat the pumpkin stalks. It was fun for the Lehman cou iins to walk to the patch and watch he pumpkins grow... and grow ... md grow. By early September, the patch held dozens of Atlantic Giant pumpkins and a variety the Ths cousins call mass pumpkins thslr Cindsrslla pumpkins bscauss thsy look Ilka ths pictures of Cinderella’s pumpkin coach In fairy-tala books. ... Giant Pumpkins Provide Hours Of Play Lehmans call "Cinderella pump kins” (because they look like the pictures of Cinderella’s pumpkin coach in fairy-tale books). To harvest the heavy pumpkins, a special canvas was made with hand holds for four people. The giant pumpkins were cut loose from their stalks, gently rolled onto the canvas and carefully loaded onto a wagon or truck. Some of the Lehmans’ market customers are buying the giant pumpkins for fall decoration and some will probably be used for pies and for seeds for next year. One will probably become a Halloa ween jack-o-lantern for the Lehmans. For the York Fair children’s pumpkin decorating contest, the These two pumpkins glued together make a great elephant. Lehman grandchildren used sever al kinds of smaller pumpkins. They all entered different pumpkin creations and all won prizes. You can save seeds from a spe cial pumpkin. Have a grownup help you cut it apart, and then care fully remove the seeds from the stringy pulp inside. Rinse the seeds well in cool water and lay them out cn newspaper or paper towels to dry for several days. When the seeds are very dry. store them in a cool place. If they are too moist or stored in too warm a place, they nay become moldy and spoil. Plant them next spring after the ground has become warm. If you want to try to grow a Giant Pump on, only let one or two pumpkins grow on each stalk. ortie^ar Cousins Msllssa Darcy, Stephanie Bums and Courtney Lehman find puumpkins a great place to hide and climb. Add a glamorous hat, ayaa, aart, and hair and this pump* kin looks Juit Ilka a pig. /> - 'I
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