Fall Into Farm Fulfillment this October

By Ron Eichner

Hi folks, October is the first full month of fall, and the events of October have true meaning. Since we went frost-free on September 18, the Harvest Moon, my Grandpa Eichner always said we should get well into October without frost. Getting through the Hunter's Moon on October 17 without a frost will make for a great season of growing fruits and vegetables. This year, we had a very wet spring and five droughts in the summer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and wearing a pink ribbon supports the awareness. Since my family's ancestry is German-American, German American Day is October 6. Germantown came into being on October 6, 1683, in northwest Philadelphia. This was the first time 13 German families moved to the Philadelphia area. It's a day to celebrate the German American heritage.

National Farmer’s Day is October 12. The exact origins trace back to the early 1800s when communities and towns gathered to honor local farmers and their harvests. Since it officially was established by the federal government in 1970, it has provided a unique platform for recognizing the tireless effort of the women, men, and their farm families working day in and day out to nourish our nation and other countries throughout the world. 

Take a minute and share with your family and friends and look up Paul Harvey's God Made a Farmer. Agriculture is the backbone of our state and nation. Family farms in Pennsylvania play a considerable part in this as folks and families continue to reform the challenges and tough work from before dawn and well after dusk each day to feed our communities, nation, and other countries worldwide. We have four hard-working multi-generational farm families left in the Wexford area, and we are all here to support our community. We only need our community's year-round support.

World Egg Day is the second Friday in October. This year, it falls on October 11. Our family farm is one of the last farms in the area to have laying hens. Our hens produce high-energy eggs due to the nutritionally fortified feed they receive daily. Eggs were falsely attacked in the mid-1960s, with the USDA pushing a low-fat and high-carb diet and profiling eggs as evil for generations. However, it has been recognized and recommended to focus on a good protein and low-carb diet.

For those of you who are hikers and walkers, the archery season for deer began locally on September 21 and statewide on October 5. Archers wear camo and blend into the surroundings of the woods and fields. Halloween is always the last day of October, on the 31st. October is a month buildup to Halloween. Many farms have hayrides, pumpkin patch mazes, and unique attractions. We support our farm friends Carrie Triko and her staff at Haunted Hillview Manor and her Scare Manor in New Castle. You can kill two birds with one stone by touring Haunted Hillview Manor and then navigating through the Scare Manor after dark. Feel free to visit hauntedhillmanor.com for days and hours.

We have an excellent selection of pumpkins, pie pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, and cousin Matt King's huge fall mums. We celebrate Oktoberfest throughout October. Our homemade bratwurst and fermented sauerkraut can be on your menu. Our farm market is stocked with fruits, vegetables, fresh high-energy eggs, homemade pork sausages, sliced slab bacon, roasting chickens, Creamline milk, cheese, local honey, and maple syrup, home-baked cookies by the dozen, fudge candies, and chocolates. October is the time to order your fresh Thanksgiving turkeys.

So, make our family farm a destination for wholesome farm products. Bring a friend and be a friend. Our farm market is open year-round seven days a week. Visit us at 285 Richard Road in Wexford, and make Eichner’s Whole Farm and Greenhouses a destination and discover “the rest of the story.”