You may recall that three years ago, Young's Farm held its
final pumpkin-picking fall festival before signing papers for its Dewey acreage with a major developer (M3). All thanks to a cockamamie statute which would trim back water rights (and resultant value) each year the land was used for agriculture, from 2006 forward.
Fast forward three years. A special event permit will allow Peter's Pumpkin Patch to open its vines to the public for picking the great orange squash, now through November 1. Location: the former site of Young's Farm in Dewey-Humboldt. Oh yes, there's also an eight-acre corn maze. And a hay ride. Sound familiar?
What's going on, you might ask. For starters, the developer and the new town city fathers of Dewey-Humboldt disagreed about plans for the big property at SR69 and SR169. Frequently. And so any major plans stalled even as the current real estate bust took hold. As a result, most of the Young's buildings are gone but nothing has replaced them.
In the meantime, caretakers have been farming the land, while the Young family is happily transplanted to a spread in water-rich Oregon, and Windmill Farms up in Chino Valley has staked out the fall festival venue as its turf. Go figure.
Picture credits: pumpkin on the ground courtesy of my next door neighbors, the wagon load from the Farmer's Market, and grocery store displays from Safeway and New Frontiers.
You may recall that three years ago, Young's Farm held its final pumpkin-picking fall festival before signing papers for its Dewey acreage with a major developer (M3). All thanks to a cockamamie statute which would trim back water rights (and resultant value) each year the land was used for agriculture, from 2006 forward.
Fast forward three years. A special event permit will allow Peter's Pumpkin Patch to open its vines to the public for picking the great orange squash, now through November 1. Location: the former site of Young's Farm in Dewey-Humboldt. Oh yes, there's also an eight-acre corn maze. And a hay ride. Sound familiar?
What's going on, you might ask. For starters, the developer and the new town city fathers of Dewey-Humboldt disagreed about plans for the big property at SR69 and SR169. Frequently. And so any major plans stalled even as the current real estate bust took hold. As a result, most of the Young's buildings are gone but nothing has replaced them.
In the meantime, caretakers have been farming the land, while the Young family is happily transplanted to a spread in water-rich Oregon, and Windmill Farms up in Chino Valley has staked out the fall festival venue as its turf. Go figure.
Picture credits: pumpkin on the ground courtesy of my next door neighbors, the wagon load from the Farmer's Market, and grocery store displays from Safeway and New Frontiers.
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10 comments:
Miss those days when our girls used to help haul pumpkins for customers, to the cashier station. They made good tips on the week-ends in Oct.
Youngs 1, developer 0.
Hermano
It is a sad thing to me. Like everything these days....change, but at what cost.
We are getting more and more pumpkins in the local stores here.
Perhaps the silver lining to the real estate bust is the end of days for developers? Wouldn't that be grand!
goldie -- I used to wonder just how well the kids made out at Young's. Now I know!
bro -- that appears to be about it.
changes -- sometimes, the cost is just a little too high for what we get in return.
steve -- are they being used for food or just for fall/Halloween decorations? Pumpkin innards are good not just for pies (yum!) but flavored breads & cookies, and the seeds are a favorite Mexican munchie.
kate -- I fear that RE developers are probably more like hydras, with two heads growing back every time one is cut off.
I just don't get it! I sure miss Young's Farm Store.
jarart -- I'm sur many, many folks miss their turkeys, as well. They also made a good rhubarb pie.
GJ, as far as I know, for decoration. My wife never tasted a pumpkin pie until we were stationed in the States.
steve -- admittedly, not many folk here in the USA make their pumpkin pies from scratch; I recall my Mom using canned pumpkin way back in the 30s & 40s for her pies. However, trying to imagine an autumn without pumpkin pie is like December without Christmas...
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