1. Slice off bottom and top of pumpkin.
2. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds.
3. Skin the pumpkin as you would a fresh pineapple. The skin isn't very thick so you don't need to cut into the pumpkin much.
4. Dice into cubes. The smaller the cubes, the quicker it will cook.
5. Place in a baking dish and cover with foil.
6. Place in a 350 degree oven until pumpkin is tender, about an hour and a half.
7. Take out of oven and cool. Then mash with a potato masher.
8. Use a beater to make a smooth consistency. Your pumpkin is now ready for baking. It can also be spooned into plastic freezer quarts and stored for later use.

Q: What is so special about sand-grown potatoes?

A: When we say sand grown we don't mean potatoes grown in pure sand.  This is very difficult to do and won't necessarily produce special potatoes.  We mean sandy loam or loamy sand soils.  Most potatoes in Michigan are grown in muck or heavy dark, almost black soils.  Sometimes these potatoes pick up the flavor of the ground and produce an off taste.  Many years ago I saw someone advertise sand-grown potatoes and I then realized the potatoes we grew in sandy loam tasted better than those in heavy, dark soils-they also are easier to dig and wash!   Way back when before I purchased the farm I remember talking to Raicel (Shorty) VanBuskirk, who lived across the street and for the first eight years is where I sold my corn and other stuff with the help of Mildred.  Shorty commented about the farm I was to buy on how fantastic the potatoes that came from there were.  Well he was right!
 
Q:  What is a New Potato?

A:  It simply is a freshly dug potato that was dug early, while the foliage was still green.  It generally is recognized for its exceptional flavor.  There are two reasons for this, me thinks.  First, it's ready early, sometimes late June when all that is available are potatoes that have been stored for 10 months or more.  Second, its skin is so thin it seems non-existent and even those who hate potato skins won't bother peeling them since there is really nothing to peel!
 
Q: Do you only grow red potatoes?  If so why?

A:  Actually, we were never asked this question exactly as phrased. Nonetheless, we were asked similar questions.  The answer is NO.  We also grow Yukon Gold, Russet Norkotah and Kennebec, which is new this year.  However, the bulk of our sales, and our favorite type, are the reds-specifically LaSoda and Norlands.  There is no doubt they have much more flavor than Yukon Gold or the russets.  We think they also have more a bit more flavor than the white Kennebec although we haven't eaten many Kennebecs so this belief might change since we plan on digging them this week and eating a bunch of them.  Why did we plant Kennebec this year?  Well, it seems they are the new rage on the Food Network and we wanted to see why.  (Kennebecs have been featured on the Iron Chef America program.)  We also knew Kennebecs grew really big and "big potatoes" are well suited for oven fries, one of our favorite ways of fixin' 'taters.  We tasted some Kennebecs a few weeks ago and we all love them.  We will have them in quantity starting on Thursday October 7.  We also plan on having half bushels of red potatoes for sale then as well.  Well now, for some strange reason I got myself tasting for freshly dug red and Kennebec potatoes.