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Jamie and Craig Lamm sort through a pile of pumpkins at their farm in Minster on Thursday afternoon.
MINSTER - The Lamm family are pumpkin people - in fact, this farm family has been growing the classic autumnal fruit for about 50 years, with the third generation now hard at work in the pumpkin patch.
Lamm Family Farms in Minster is comprised of grandfather Ken, grandmother Jan, father Craig, mother Jamie, son Kyle and six daughters. The roughly 3 acres of land they devote to the pumpkin side business can produce about 5,000 pumpkins per year, and the family does the hard work for you by picking the pumpkins off the vine and putting them in a display wagon for easy access.
In addition to offering decorative, carving and pie pumpkins, the operation sells mums from Amherst Greenhouse in Harrod and hay bales, which Jamie puts together herself.
This year, the farm ordered about 750 mums and prepare about 2,000 hay bales.
"Whenever we farmed, when the machinery got bigger, there have been pockets that have been impractical (for farming), so that's where we started growing the pumpkins," Craig said of the family hobby. "When we bought this place, we had extra land that we couldn't farm. What do you do with extra land you don't farm? Well, in our family you plant pumpkins."
Lamm Family Farms is operated by three generations. Left to right are Ken, Kyle and Craig Lamm.
Ken has been growing pumpkins for about 45-50 years and Craig and Jamie have done it professionally for 22 years. The family shares much of the crop with each other.
In fact, Ken has a secret patch in Fort Recovery that he is protective over.
"To say you have a pumpkin patch that's heavily fortified with trail cameras, I wish I was joking," Craig said with a laugh about his father. "Ken has a super-secret pumpkin patch in Fort Recovery and anyone who goes has to take an oath."
The trail cameras are mainly for deer, though, as the family learned the hard way that deer like white pumpkins and have a habit of swiping the perfect pumpkin for themselves.
To keep up with demand, the family grows heirloom pumpkins as well as the classic orange and white pumpkins.
"We're growing more of the odd-colored ones because there's a greater demand for those versus just the standard orange ones," Jamie said.
The family has found that stacking pumpkins - usually the pastel, rounder ones - is a popular trend. Varieties include Cinderella and Porcelain Doll, with the former being a French pumpkin that is supposed to look like the princess's magical carriage. The flattened pumpkin is usually pink or reddish-orange with a sweeter taste profile. The Porcelain Doll pumpkin is more globular and blocky with a sunken stem. They are usually pink or light orange and are ideal for the kitchen - specially for baking, roasting or boiling.
The Lamms produce roughly 5,000 pumpkins each year on their 3 acres of land, all ranging in size. The pumpkins are sold at their home in Minster located at 3618 State Route 119.
The growing season is usually about 100 days from germination to harvest. Craig and his family plant around Mother's Day to ensure the crop is finishing by the end of August. Ken, on the other hand, plants around Memorial Day to have pumpkins ready by mid-September.
The fruit does well in dryer, cooler weather, Craig said. Pumpkins take up a large amount of space and can be planted in rows or on hills. They don't like excess moisture.
Craig said the heaviest pumpkin ever grown in Alaska weighed 2,147 pounds, making the state an ideal climate.
"(There's more) daylight and it didn't get so hot where the pumpkin boiled from the inside out," he said. "The smaller pumpkins get shaded by the leaves but the big pumpkins are exposed."
Craig and Jamie said they primarily grow medium-sized pumpkins because of the market demand.
"It seems like every year, though, we keep trying to improve the process," Craig said. "I don't think we ever planted two years alike. It started out with just a garden hoe and just stepping it off."
The Lamms produce roughly 5,000 pumpkins each year on their 3 acres of land, all ranging in size. The pumpkins are sold at their home in Minster located at 3618 State Route 119.
The hobby teaches patience and work ethic, the family said. Jamie added that she tries to teach her kids real-life skills outside of the classroom.
"As parents, that's not our only goal for them to only learn these academic things," she said. "They need to learn other things, how to work (and) follow instruction. I think with the animals and things, it teaches them a great amount of compassion for other people."
She said the funds raised also help pay for the kids' 4-H projects.
Ken added that he appreciates the pride growing takes. Craig said most of all, he enjoys the family connection. His parents host a pumpkin party for all the grandchildren complete with awards, food, and hay rides.
"Even at the pumpkin party, nobody has a phone out," he said. "Everybody's disconnected from that."
For more information, visit Lamm Family Farms at 3618 State Route 119, Minster, or call 419-733-3762. Pumpkins range from $1 to $12 and the sales are self-serve, right from the pumpkin wagon. Mums are $7 and hay bales are $5.
The Lamms also sell mums from Amherst Greenhouse in Harrod at their Minster homestead.
