Here are some fabulous luncheon tables designed by Mike Hillis of Hillis and Company that paired Poverty Hills pumpkins with high heeled shoes. Isn’t it great how the soft greys in the shoes coordinate with the heirloom blues and corals of our patch? I love how the rustic straw softens the whole look, and how the sunflower blooms add a punch of color!

I have to admit–I never in a million zillion years would have paired the two–but how fun is this?

And this…

And this?! A whole table of shoes and pumpkins marching down the length of it!

*All photos courtesy of Mike Hillis

Poverty Hills’ Guide to Pumpkin Care and Handling

As you are decorating with pumpkins this season, be sure to keep these tips in mind:

• Start with a pumpkin that has no scratches or cuts to the skin. Any breaks in the skin will allow bacteria in to start the decomposition process.
• Avoid using pumpkins with any type of soft spot–these are ticking time bombs that will cause the whole pumpkin to go bad very quickly.
• Watch out for pumpkins with broken stems. While stems can easily break–a bunch of broken stems mean pumpkins that were handled roughly, often leading to other damage.
• If you are using pumpkins in indoor decorating, select pumpkins from farms that wash them prior to bringing them to market. Poverty Hills wash and bleach all our pumpkins to remove the soil and bacteria from the farm which make them ready to go into your home.
• When using pumpkins to decorate in the house–be sure to set each pumpkin in a shallow container such as a glass pie plate. Even though most heirloom varieties are very long lasting, they are still a natural product that can go bad at any time despite the best of care. Your container can be disguised in your display with honeysuckle or grapevine tangles, straw, or moss.
• If you are using your pumpkin in outdoor displays, bring your pumpkins indoors when a frost is predicted. Protecting your pumpkins from freezing temperatures will prolong the shelf life.
• Using shellac or other clear spray on your pumpkins doesn’t allow the shell to breathe and will reduce the life of your pumpkin.

Happy decorating! You are invited to post any of your fabulous fall decor pictures on our Facebook page here!

]]> http://povertyhills.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/pumpkin-care-and-handling-guide/feed/ 0 Pumpking Picking povertyhills Pumpking Picking http://povertyhills.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/farm-fresh/ http://povertyhills.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/farm-fresh/#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:38:26 +0000 povertyhills http://povertyhills.wordpress.com/?p=753 Read more]]> Last week we got to go on a rescue mission to a farm in North-Central Nebraska.

This was the coolest farm! This place had been in the same family since 1904 and was so incredibly rich with history and great stories! It was definitely the first farm place I had ever been on that had recycled tombstones in the walkway, an old race car from the 1950s in the trees, a house with two staircases  leading to two rooms that didn’t meet, and an old piano in the barn. The family curator that gave us the tour said growing up she thought nothing about hearing music coming from the barn when the farm cats played on the keys–but it sure made visitors wonder about ghosts in the barn when the came to visit.

We felt so fortunate to be able to sift through their seven outbuildings and house rescuing unwanted pieces. We are so excited about our finds and can’t wait to bring them back to life! Here are a few favorites…

We loved the old metal cart with the reinforced wire…

And the nifty oil can! We had to decide who was Mike and who was Frank. When it was decided that Aaron would play Frank–we pointed out every oil can to him.

I’m crazy for old bath hardware…

… and shop bins! Wouldn’t these be great storage bins in a craft room?

Aaron found this sweet old painted shelf in the barn–how great is this paint?

Old molding and bits of of an old gym floor came home with us, too!

We’re crazy for bead board cabinets! This one lived in a tool shop.

A peek on the inside! How fun will this be after a little sprucing up?

Oooh… and this is one of our favorite finds–check-row wire! We’ve been wanting some of this for a long time now–what a lucky find!

It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us! Check back to see how these finds look after a lot of cleaning and a little love…

Just got word that the Whistle Stop is almost sold out of pumpkins within just two hours of opening their Fall Market!

We are getting busy bringing more!

Check back for our latest load of goodies!

Fall Market hours at ‘the Stop’ are Friday 10-5, and Saturday 10-4.

That time of the year that we fondly refer to as ‘Pumpkin Season’.

This time of the year is also known as…

… ‘Supper-Came-Out-of-the-Freezer (or drive through!) Season’

… ‘Sleep-is-Seriously-Overrated Season’

… ‘Yes-You-Will-Learn-Your-Parents-Are-Crazy-Evie Season’

It’s also secretly my favorite season! I absolutely love the weather, the colors, the textures, and the decorating this season inspires! We wouldn’t be filling up our weekends for over a month if we didn’t LOVE what we did!

And speaking of filling up our weekends… Here is a peek at a recent project I did for a wedding! I had so much fun working with handmade plantable paper + my sewing machine to make these reserved table tents. (There were matching place cards, too!)

Oh… and sometime in there 100 hedge apples were picked for a special order! It’s what normal people are doing on their Friday nights, right?

Oh yes! And then there’s the pumpkins… We have been busy picking and are so excited for our opening shows this weekend. Dare I saw we have the best selection this early in the season? It is so much fun discovering the funky ‘trial’ varieties planted this year… along with re-discovering our favorites out there, too! We are even getting our milo ready to go–and the farm produced some fun ornamental corn as well. It will be a busy season to be sure!

Poverty Hills pumpkins can be spotted this weekend at the Venice Antique Mall’s Fall Flea Market along with some of our ‘farm fresh’ finds. Click here for hours + location.

AND… you know we wouldn’t miss Laurie’s famous Fall Market at The Whistle Stop in Elkhorn! Get the weekend started right by visiting her on Thursday. I always love peeking around her shop checking out all the goodies while we unload pumpkins… okay while Aaron unloads pumpkins!

Check back soon to see where we–and our funky pumpkins–are headed to next!

]]> http://povertyhills.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/and-so-it-begins/feed/ 0 1315348175616 povertyhills 1315367011110 hedge apples 1315348175616 Whistle Stop http://povertyhills.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/oh-milo/ http://povertyhills.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/oh-milo/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:22:14 +0000 povertyhills http://povertyhills.wordpress.com/?p=701 Read more]]> Finally!

After a few years of thinking we should grow this crop again… it actually happened this year!

This forgotten crop was once a staple on this farm. The toughness of this plant combined with its value as a livestock feed made it a popular choice in years past. The farmland in Nebraska that was once planted to this commodity have since been overtaken with improved corn hybrids. Even though this crop has been pushed aside in most producers’ minds, we wanted to resurrect it on our farm. We saw potential in it as a fall decorative crop to pair with our heirloom pumpkins.

And so it was planted…

These beautiful milo seed heads will turn a rich reddish brown once ripe. Watch for it at our fall markets! We will be featuring our milo bundled in shocks for your outdoor decor.

And the best part? The berries double as a food source for the song birds in your yard!

The three of us just went on a ‘pumpkin hunt’ through the patch to see what was growing! We had so much fun tip toeing through the vines pointing out our finds to each other. Here’s a sneak peek of what this fall will bring….

Here we go Miss Evie!

Our favorite small black ones are back! We can tell these aren’t quite ready yet because they get this great ‘moldy’ look to their skin when they are ripe.

The flat salmon ones are some of my favorites. I love the color, and lots of ribs–too!

What a great year this will be for white pumpkins of all shapes and sizes!

When this medium sized variety is ripe it turns a nice, deep red color. LOVE that stem!

Everywhere you look there is something else to see!

Be sure to visit our blog link above for our 2011 Schedule of Events! Even more events are in the works–so check back for more details!

…on a wedding for the friend of a friend…

…smelling the lovely garden roses as I went…

….looking forward to another day of beauty tomorrow!

It’s hard to believe its now officially summer. What a busy year it’s been… and its safe to say that 2011 has been particularly crazy here.

Let me catch you up on what’s been going on at Poverty Hills…

To start, we were blessed with out first child, Evie Mae, on April 5th. She surprised us by arriving about a month early! Weighing in at only 5lb, 7oz we were further blessed with no complications with prematurity. Oh yes… and she was 19 inches long! Little Miss has been thriving and we are thrilled to have her around!

Then, three weeks after Evie was born, our family gained another member when my brother Joe wed his lovely wife Erin. The wedding was beautiful, of course, and we have lots of memories of the day–including the best man’s speech!

I was honored to be asked to design the flowers for Joe and Erin’s special day! It’s always fun doing projects where you are given carte blanche over the materials. What a fun color those bridesmaid dresses were to work with!

Oh, and I’m sure you are wondering… YES! The pumpkins did get planted around all this craziness! For 2011 we have all of our favorites, plus some new ones we are so excited to see! I promise I will bring you more updates as the season progresses. I will also be posting the locations of where you can find us, the pumpkins–and Evie!–this fall.

And… in the meantime… you can catch us at the upcoming Plum Pickens! The ‘Christmas in July’ show will be held on July 30th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There will be all the lovely handmades, primatives, and other one-of-a-kind items that we love! For directions to the show, click here. Hope to see you soon!

It’s hard to believe fall is saying it’s last goodbye as winter is slowly moving in…

I love this time of year for lots of different reasons…. crisp air, twinkling lights in the night, and giving to others! I absolutely love to surprise friends and family with a homemade gift! I’m getting my “to-make” list together as we speak…..

One of my favorite gifts to give has been hand made crocheted hats. These chunky hats are created from a thick wool blend yarn (20% wool / 80% acrylic) that’s nice and toasty! A funky flower with a vintage button center completes the look.

I am taking custom orders for hats for holiday giving for yourself or others.

Simply e-mail me at thenygrens@windstream.net with the following information:

• Size: Adult or Child (If you are ordering for a child, I would appreciate an age or head measurement taken.)
• Color for Hat and Flower (Flower is optional!)
• Shipping Address (Where to send it to when I’m done!)
• And…. When you need it!

. . . . . . . . . . PRICES . . . . . . . . . .

• Adult Size: $24 + $4 shipping
• Child Sizes: $18 + $4 shipping
• Shipping can be combined on multiple orders.

. . . . . . . . . .PAYMENT INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . .

• Credit cards accepted via Paypal
• Check or Cash

. . . . . . . . . . CARE INSTRUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . .

• Machine Wash and Dry
• Do not Bleach or Iron