Fri morning, Sept 15 Hi Folks, The next auction is tonight at 6 PM. The most recent market report is ready. To access that Market Report, please go here: <www.homerproduceauction.com> or <http://www.brightdsl.net/~fwo> Buyers need to buy pumpkins when they are available. Pumpkin harvest will increase sharply this week and peak in late Seprember. By early October harvest will already be on the decline and by mid-October there won't be many pumpkins left to harvest. Post-purchase handling of pumpkins: The main post-purchase problem will be fungal disease on the surface of the pumpkins. To reduce or eliminate this problem, pumpkins must be kept dry with good air circulation. Pumpkins should not be stored outside in bins because there is definitely not enough air circulation to dry out after a rain. They should be removed from the bins immediately after purchase and dipped in a 10% clorox solution (1gal clorox and 9 gal water). Gentle handling is very important to prevent broken stems and bruises. Pumpkin storage at the buyers site should be off the ground and should be inside away from sun and rain. Best would be on wood racks or wood pallets. Concrete draws damp from the soil beneath. Don't stack pumpkins on the soil or grass. Pumpkins should be arranged in one layer, if possible. It's better if they are not touching. -- For those coming from the north, State Route 301 is closed between Spencer and Homerville. Go west 2 miles to Firestone Road and use that for North/South travel. -- Kindest regards, ======================== F. W. Owen Owenlea Holsteins 9430 Spencer Road Homerville, Ohio 44235 e-mail fwo@xxxxxxxxxx home page http://www.bright.net/~fwo cell 330/635-2287 (best) office 330/625-2369 fax 330/625-2620 ======================== -The main page for the Homerville Wholesale Produce Auction is http://www.HomerProduceAuction.com -Go there to: * View photos * Read the manager's blog * View price and quantity graphs * Read the current and past market reports. -To post a message on this mailing list, simply send email to homer_prod_auct@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx -To contact the auction manager about this email list (or for any reason) send email to fwo@xxxxxxxxxx -Users can unsubscribe from the list by sending email to homer_prod_auct-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.