I know y’all are a fun, creative, festive bunch.  It’s time to harness those attributes and get into pumpkin carving.  Light some candles, play some Oingo Boingo, get a hot mug of something enlightening. Put on a sweater, channel the energy from the huge golden spider web nearby and make the first slice of what will undoubtedly be a masterpiece of fine squash-based art.

  If you haven’t already got your pumpkins, you’ll be pleased to know that we just got a fresh delivery from the most adorable tiny farmer and her Dad this week.  The farm store is now stocked with some awesome carving pumpkins, from the classic Charlie brown variety, to the warty ones and the fancy ones.  

   Ty and Faryn brought over a truckload of their local and Certified Naturally Grown pumpkins this week and we are officially in the mood to utilize the heck out of our $7.99 carving kits from a little store run by Jeffrey Bezos.

  Ty was actually kind of our first employee many moons ago.  He worked a couple of summers with us back in the day and, fun fact, is responsible for us starting to eat lunch.  Before him, we ran from morning til’ midnight on the occasional handful of nuts and crackers without ever breaking for proper food and rest.  When confronted with another human person, it dawned on us that this was not normal behavior.  We thank him for that.

  He was always an incredibly hard and committed worker whose passion for farming was at the forefront of everything.  He spent time in Africa after that working on a Master’s degree in sustainable Agriculture and then came back to Athens to start his own farm. 

   He now runs Lazy Summer Farm and grows lots of peaches and pumpkins using only organic methods.  You should definitely check him out at the Athens Farmers Market.  It’s almost impossible to find local peaches that aren’t covered in heavy doses of pesticides, but Ty is making it happen.  

  It’s also nice to be able to get your pumpkin from a local farmer who grew his crop without poison and to know that after you’ve carved it, you can actually toast up the pumpkin seeds for a tasty treat.

  Mandy loves some toasted pumpkin seeds and I’m half convinced that she only engages in the carving so that she can get to the seeds.

  We actually never carved pumpkins in our 16 years together until last year and then we couldn’t stop.  We got addicted.  Well after Halloween, we had a company pumpkin carving party. All that stopped us was that we ran out of pumpkins.

   Fortunately now we have a big supply.  So come on and grab a few before I get carried away and carve them myself.

  And if you love a festive pumpkin, but just can’t bear to cut into it, Mandy recommends the Musquee de Provence as a beauty to behold without any need for relief sculptures on your part. 

It’s perfect as is.

  I hope you are enjoying the weather as much as we are.  I mean, the lack of rain has been rough, but the cool temps have been so healing to my body and our spirits.  Take a moment to soak it in this weekend if you can.  The shoulder seasons are the best times of year to be outside in Georgia. 

-Steve