Pick IOSAS Centre's Pumpkin Day this Hallowe'en

If it was possible to bottle and sell Noel Doherty’s enthusiasm, the IOSAS Centre would surely make a fortune.

Noel is the Head Gardener at the Centre’s Whiteoaks Acorn Organic Farm in Derryvane near Muff, where he and his team are busily preparing for Pumpkin Saturday.

The increasingly popular event is taking place on Saturday, October 28, from 10.00am to 2.30pm and everyone is invited.
Out standing in a rainbow arced pumpkin field, with Scalp in the distance, Noel told Derry Now what was planned for Saturday.

With a grin he said: “There will be loads of fun activities taking place. We will have face painting;  guess the weight of the biggest pumpkin harvested from this field; balloon modelling; a photo booth; and pumpkin soup, naturally. There will also be sweet treats, teas and coffees and scones in our café.

“It’s going to be a great day and we are hoping to welcome families and friends to buy their pumpkins and have a lovely time.”
Noel explained the pumpkins in the field in which we were standing would be harvested and on sale at the IOSAS Centre on Saturday.

“The pumpkin is a member of the cucurbit family like the courgette, squash and cucumber. It originated in Mexico but now pumpkins are grown all over the world. It really is a North American crop.

“We sow our pumpkins here, from seed, in mid-April. They are fully certified organic and are 100% edible, as opposed to some of the shop-bought pumpkins which are purely for carving. So today has really been in the making since mid-April.

“Pumpkins are peculiar. They start off green, not a lot of people know that, and then they ripen to their orange colour. Really, from the day we sowed them, to what we are looking at now, is a six month process to get them ready in time for the big October 31, Hallowe’en day and night celebrations.

“As well as carving, these pumpkins are now ripe and ready to be made into soup or pumpkin pie, which  is pretty big in North America but not so much here,” said Noel.

A true aficionado, Noel said pumpkin seeds could be roasted off in a pan or the oven and eaten as they are very high in beneficial antioxidants.

“The seeds can also be saved until next year and planted,” he added. 

“It will be all go here this week to get all of our pumpkins harvested and put into a dry area. It is important to get them inside, off the ground, maybe on pallets, and into a dry airy room, glass house or polytunnel. We are lucky here at Whiteoaks Acorn Organic Farm as we have plenty of space.

“When we are harvesting our pumpkins, we try to leave as much of the handle on as possible. The handle forms between the pumpkin and the vine and it is better to leave as much of that on as possible.”
On Saturday, everything will be set up in the IOSAS for the visitors.

“Families can come in and select the pumpkin they want,” said Noel, “and enjoy all of the fantastic activities on offer.”
So popular is the Whiteoaks Acorn Organic Farm produce, it is for sale at three stalls across Inishowen.

“We are in Buncrana, on Wednesday, from 9.00am to 3.00pm, across from Ardaravan Square, where we tie in with Starcrest Seafood, who comes from Donegal town with Killybegs fish. On Friday we are in Burt at the coffee van outside the Presbyterian Church and on Saturday we are outside the former Harry’s restaurant from 9.00am to 12.00pm. 

“We also have our central plank, the IOSAS box delivery scheme each Thursday. We deliver six items of organic vegetables for €11. Delivery is free of cost. Everything is seasonal and comes from our 100% organic farm.

“We also have a range of organic fruit, which we are purchasing in at the minute, to add a bit of variety to our  farm shop. Our produce can also be purchased at the IOSAS Centre, Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 4.00pm.”
Noel described his team of growers as “really well settled”.

“We have three full-time and three part-time workers here. I have been here almost six years now. Everyone is really keen. We put our shoulders to the wheel as you can see, to have our 15 different types of crops growing, as well as the pumpkins.

“Everything comes on at different times of the year, so a lot of work goes. We also ensure the organic ethos, which involves annual inspection and certification. We actually had a double inspection this year because we are purchasing in and storing organic fruit.

“The work never stops in terms of weed control and pest control as no chemicals can be used, no pesticides or fungicides which would interfere with the natural biosphere of the field.”

Whiteoaks Acorn Organic Farm has 10 polytunnels and a 150 ft square glasshouse. onsite. This allows it to crop all year round. We also use  horticultural fleece to protect our wee pumpkins.

“We never stop,” said Noel, “and as soon as October comes in, it’s all go, go, go in terms of our pumpkins.

“In Ireland, the tradition was to carve a turnip back in the day. It was a Samhain tradition which was brought to the US by the Irish when they emigrated. Obviously then, they saw the pumpkin and realised they grew outdoors, were plentiful and were easier to carve, so they were substituted for the turnip.

“Here at Whiteoaks Acorn Organic Farm we grow three varieties of pumpkin. We have Jack-o'-Lantern, which is the standard carving shaped pumpkin. We also have Racer and the Rouge Vif d’Etampes variety, which have excelled this year. It is dark orange and has deep ribs. It is very ornamental and is also known as Cinderella’s Carriage.”