eprint at wn ibbockonine.com South Plains harvest is a labor of love BY ELLIOTT BLACKBURN AVALANCHE JOURNAL LOYDADA — Paula Pyle and Tim As- siter raced through a dizzying array of names for the bulging vegetables boxed in her barn. Face pumpkins and pie pumpkins and fairy tales piled in cardboard bins; gourds with bird names and Spanish names and nick- names like Turk’s Turban. Lubbock Dark green Online.com ovalscovered gg in lumps filled wor et aber, as rye ween collected huge g, mold spores to _S10>™ Sar store outside her warehouse south of Floy- dada. Pumpkins sailed through the air nearby between workers preparing a load for shipment. Assiter and Pyle bartered. for the moment, on a pinkish pumpkin with an impossible French name —they dubbed it “peanut” after the pale, tan bumps that speckle its surface. Assiter needed the pumpkins for a rapidly approach- ing semi, and Pyle had them. Finding a moment to ask for them had been the trick. “One more second,” she said when he rolled through a muddy lot to her barn, a finger in the air and an order sheet in her hand as she walked briskly by. “Small crisis.” SEE HARVEST, PAGE A6 PHOTOS BY JIM WATKINS AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Nancy Lopez gathers Turk's Turban pumpkins into a plastic basket on one of Tim Assiter’s tleids. Pumpkin harvests are still labor intensive and require hired crews to hand pick the crop. ., Tim Assiter of the ‘Punkin Ranch talks pumpkins in his retall show- f room south of Floydada. Despite | declining acre- age and a smaller group of grow- ers, Floyd County is believed to produce the most pumpkins in the state. YV How to care for your pumpkins Tips from farmer Tim Assiter to keep your gourds looking good: Bathe your pumpkin in bleach water, 1 Cover all but the bottom-most part of the gourd in a non-acrylic floor wax. The coating will make the pumpkin shine and help protect it from the sun, Don't coat the bottom, blossom area of the pumpkin. Even off the vine, the vegetable needs to breathe. " aie FReprints at worwubbockoniie.com(AG sox sermueenn 07 Bsc MALE OI HARVEST: Nations pumpkin capital sees decline in acreage, growers FROM pan at Mis problem” Aniter sneered suite tad ring Seer they int banpen ev Tew. nae, Poy Sant proce ey Cnty Prods wore punp- sinethanauy treme ites asthe dy ofa apace ite mall tant of our geoers ‘used to move fut te a wee Eble iter aetous Nor ere ‘he devraiveyegzabes are part ot el SF ihn fetes sal bt rving sce ae ‘8 lion cat indo ceding te mont sen Crt Hay ‘pein sts od urge impkins gow beter th cp sock han aber ele et, ‘Matra sens i hk a eM tempers en low ham Ig Gop ee of goverment prise ‘Sails bu ult even tare, Ding eae mc be are ‘fate and moe evanectons and Ace higher profi than many fcr (gor nthe fein, Te created ‘Seteumber of growers ion te de {ze the seifprelimed pumpin ‘aula of tbe county Past and furious, Auster near hurried but sever ‘gapped norag sound is fhert farm 10 flee south ot Paydaga'a iat butonap sir tal tcked ito Hisjean and suet brown eave ‘Seepdegut his hee lesa ble shaped smartphone rarely stayed in iteater belt oieer fr lone, ie nay Fog nterrapting vey few ae ithe rom tapers sound the fate An auctioneer and salesman ty trade, ne Ket a causa endl Convert “Raters 4 sree bistered ith ‘janie arg aeatia, Laphe. Sad. ‘Ittakes a lot of time, Its a gamble, but it does get in your Blood Paula Pyle Pug gover canceled ost of thm, making Kero sae tow many seller 39 Promise No Gino elevator ent for {Eon and lamers ar eats dependable buyer to onsre 8 ome fet hadgopoiee of regeaben ‘Thats the bey tee bane” feid Gary Cartel c-omer of ep egeabes, ssi major procer "uel acy where yeue sa Tis tusnes, co-orned with tis byothe wil soul pumpkins te toplet vee stores td ea Netis fo mae snag Workers wil Hien srcrage fre acon day fo the Seay harvest Carnet Toning deck ast ute of Foye “fac from Amaro aod Laing were on their to Asses Poni ‘cho help te most of hs whl. Sale op teases, curehes or ther pots puch Pye Paap. Ente tye at end Oatosa asf Baa Bet [im ap conte thea! and (Colored, Peddlers would have ikea much ef ersand Arter op Yeats gn, but met of them woud be prety old ow, Pye sal. and hat Fie tot sett unger tale ranted ‘itor athe between tracing seas and talking beer Pose hornig tninetovach op aher‘aing Subanscawaskee ind schedule, "Tas happens alan frou” ne said rolling thou one this Bas ing trek "Sometimes teres four fe seis sting ver there be Fraded aed "be Wale of a be aproactod gap of men harvesting {Geta sat fe plese ang ath Pumpin harvests lack machines inh ware cpiated han fori prac shears A ent om bal oF ‘rea ashorttunbeffoma torrets ‘urd om dor decrton bre faucine genie nigh ors et “ged hands et pun ‘no he fom thi vines Workers ‘tien with paste iundry Basket Sd canboar Dis te quickly more {he vegetables ote Ht “Aster ho around 10 workers sort ing, barvesting sn loading his erop {iat morning and never toemed (0 Thmore tan 90 jade witout ‘oppiaato pve new onder yes 20 ‘cena abo 0 tired onde Ae ‘iomounied under Gary Carte od pekup datboard squavked updates Eom bis employes, "ht scope af Inbar ean prove tea math hast for se grovere Flor) oun nce planted 8000 eres ‘ke fit eerie thi ear, eovers Planted trout , cunt extension NeetJo. Ragland saa. ‘eter, expense seed and tech lacs improved yield he sald, but Ia aks far more wok than pst {ho rodyeotton or ml. On cei Patches ofthe cowaty sill have the {oundvatert suppor te crop. The ‘eptbles seed thouans of elas ‘orn ffuntede to protet he erp Ihuates tend not ois the de fence betwen tho varieties malig Jaro dy cover the vegetable, “Tt a hard basins to break i” ai ‘Pumpkins in their blood oapunpisfarmersssemedta tart twrough euro and borane, ‘The Carel brthors dcovered 25 {ears age hey hc really ae a tea and hough the ier aes wp ‘got ther S00 re, kn aout ‘Ropumpis operation ald brag he Sime sour look to Gay Cares ce ‘hey ned out small wh Be acres of ink gempiny, before eretualy ‘Tipping i aes esi “Ther stuck vith pumplis beause ofth rast be sid “ita palin the But, ut tees bate tht eto" yi Jeon, abr In sisted on ering pumpkins when Ris ‘rdiaher offer him sone sere fo the family arm, she sald, Thy ‘rk ws trough fv bard year before’ their bearings were steht ‘nda mart bull "Te family sl grows more than 4000 .eres of ettas and mile Bal he Toveste terse haste her eatomers he teecom of sling ins to people for wast they vant ether tan wating 0 eg val tbe ‘mperaneat wil ae, "ye aker ota ime” Pte sad sa gue butt does ge in our ood oer ft the ppkin asia vor pw ponpnt Aare so srr ges pomp ape a Toe Reap pet up winao muck trae be eittha oe eee 52s cr ture aon ho Site vi schelcre pet ‘titra er een aed Meewoe ee Mined abled mont bythe de cise Miya ceo he cop St pean produce woud sent, plenty mente mem | >. some gout ‘Oh, it breaks my heart. Pumpkin capital of the world is nothing but a registered trademark ‘Tm Asstter sree Ps Fah ign at the edge of town witout more Stteatont he os erp, bes Pe Alrs tht ooge fled ie yard every ‘ear to el pumpkins along the Fond ‘ide were gone lt grow tarde forbs Feu hasiness to Compete wi sate Iie telersion in rural Somes, wth lasger foto easons aed Seo! ‘rs Interest in te twas Pun Bigs estat waned he said Oh breaks my her.” Asser fal af tbe world Dehing btn eptered trademark” esl ds mage (nthe trouble tnd jolly and dete ihsyeae despite nae perfec weather ‘person can walk serosa good eld "3 Deachand blue be the gods fre oheayest aura rms el ene ‘erhupe he evening clas blocked thelr charm OF maybe you have 1b lorettem ose em