Thanks for the Memories!



I overheard the goose talking with the calf about the GREAT time we had around here at Hickory Creek Farms this Fall.



The hen agreed most heartily!

We saw lots and Lots of smiles!



Lots of kids picked their perfect pumpkin to take home.



But first they got to venture into our neat ol' barn...



...where they learned that pumpkins are green before they're orange!

The kids loved the Hickory Creek Express!

And they dove right in the corn tub!

Everyone loved the hay ride!

Some folks experienced their first weiner roast!

Even though some got totally lost in the corn maze, no one called 911.  :)

A few tried their hand at checkers.

And we got the trebuchet going!  Man can it sling those pumkins!

New friends were made...

And old friends united!

Some mounted ponies and galloped around the track.



ALL had to chuckle as our piggies raced for the finish line!



Some experienced their first trip ever to the pumpkin farm.



But when Fall 2011 came to an end, all had to agree... 
"Wow!  This was great!  Thanks for the memories!"

Ever wonder how to make a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin?  It's really quite easy!   Try it!

First, wash a pumpkin and place it on a cookie sheet inside a 250 degree oven.  Bake it slowly until you can stick a fork into it easily.  Remove from oven and cool.  Peel the pumpkin with a knife (which will be easy now).  Separate the "meat" right underneath the peeling from the seeds and "gunky" stuff.  Place the "meat" in a blender and add a small amount of water to make blending easy.  Once blended, freeze in 2 cup portions in freezer bags.  Then you can quickly thaw and make a pie anytime!

PUMPKIN PIE


2 C. fresh pumpkin
1/3 C. sugar
1/3 C. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 eggs
12 oz. evaporated milk

Pour into unbaked pie crust and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.  Knife inserted into center should come out clean when done.


PIE CRUST


2 C. flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Add to flour mixture and stir with fork just until mixed:
1/2 C. oil
1/4 C. milk
1 T. oil
1 T. milk

Roll out between two pieces of waxed paper.

Grand Opening!

What a fabulous day for visiting Hickory Creek Farms this afternoon! Folks galloped on over!

The ducks fairly flew threw their races, along with the pigs and the chickens!Folks dove right in to having fun!

What fun wondering the patch looking for the perfect pumpkin!
An exciting ride on the Hickory Creek Express was just the ticket!
Can't even remember the last time I went on a hayride!


Can't wait to go back to Hickory Creek Farms!!! Maybe tomorrow! :)

Hen Party

What's up chickie? Hope you're planning to come see us this Fall in the Critter Corral at Hickory Creek Farms - right next to the pumpkin patch! You might even see us sprinting around the race track a time or two! Sometimes we get a little distracted, what with the grasshoppers and all. But whatever! We're gonna have a ball! :)

Our Winner!

A big congratulations goes to Dwayne Smith, the winner of our guess-the-pumpkin contest! He guessed our peanut covered pumpkin to be a Warren Old English Airloom. Our seed packet called it Galeaux d'Eysines. In checking it out on the internet, I'd say they look exactly alike. So, Dwayne you're our winner and one FREE admission ticket to Family Fun Days at Hickory Creek Farms is yours! Can't wait to see you and your family this Fall!

And speaking of winners! Our little piggies are really doing great in their training! They've taken to racing like a "pig to mud". :) You've got to see them!

Preparations for your visit this Fall continue! The Hickory Creek Express is out of the barn loft and has a fresh coat of paint. Won't your kids love it!!!


The question everyone's asking us after our LONG, hot, dry summer is... "Do you have any pumpkins?" I just took a walk out in the patch and snapped a few pictures. We've got orange ones great for carving! Can't you just see that smiling face sitting on your front porch?


And we've got weird ones! The first one to tell me what this variety is called gets a FREE admission to Hickory Creek Farms Family Fun Days!

We've got flat ones!

And we've got ghostly white ones!

Hope you've got us on your schedule for a visit! We open Saturday, September 24th and will be here with LOTS of fun stuff for the whole family every Saturday and Sunday afternoon through October!

And They're Off!

It's official! We finished building our track this weekend and training has begun!!! The racers are at the starting gate, the gun fires and.... They're off!


The racers round the first curve with Puddles in the lead, Puffin in close second!

With turn number two in sight, the racers are running at top speed with Puffin still in the lead!

And now the runners are headed for home with the finishing line in sight! Puffin has tired and dropped back to second and now Puddles takes the lead. He's running tirelessly and looks like he's going to finish this race in first place! Yes! Yes! It's Puddles! Puddles wins this most exciting competition at Hickory Creek Farms!!!!

What's this? Chickens? Girls? Which will it be in the next race? You'll have to come see us this Fall! We open Saturday, September 24!

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a....

...A TREBUCHET!

That's right! I just learned the correct term is not catapult, nor is it a punkin chunker. It's a trebuchet! We got the frame built last year, using one built by Brian Holt and his buddy as our pattern. They generously gave it to us! Thanks guys!

Well, we completed the frame last year (with the help of the DeLanges), but weren't able to work out the kinks with the "thrower" at the top in time for our Family Fun Days in the Fall. With pumpkin season fast approaching (just a little over a month away!), we still haven't gotten it going. Actually, we're pumpkin farmers not engineers!

So, would any of you guys out there be interested in playing with our "new toy" to see if you can make those pumpkins shoot over the pond instead of into the ground ten feet in front of the trebuchet? We welcome your expertise! Give us a call at 620-632-4294 to lend a hand -- and your brain! :)

It's been a while since you've heard from us and you might be wondering what a pumpkin farm does all summer before those lovely orange things are ready for pickin'. We're preparing for YOUR visit this Fall!!!! Here's just a glimpse of what we've been doing this summer.

Now it's not everyday that Jon and Jerry go flying. But it's the only way we can see if all our planning and cutting have paid off in the corn field. Here's a bird's eye view of our corn maze this year! Think you can conquer it?

And of course, we've been growing pumpkins!

Folks really enjoyed watching our ducks race last year! So we thought we'd add some more runners this Fall. Meet our newest athletes here at Hickory Creek Farms, and our new track for them to run on! Opening day is Saturday, September 24th. Can't wait! Ya'all come!!!