Giving Gourds
One of the most frequently asked questions this time of year is, what do you do with all the pumpkins after Harvest Nights presented by Everwise Credit Union?
The answer: the pumpkins are donated to volunteers and staff for cooking and Thanksgiving decorations, some are composted, and many are donated to local animals for food and enrichment.
This year, pot-bellied pigs from Oinking Acres Farm Rescue & Sanctuary and sheep from Fulks Family Farms enjoyed countless Harvest Nights pumpkins. Bringing a little bit of Harvest Nights magic to two Central Indiana farms and diverting tons of waste from landfills, reducing carbon emissions from food waste.
The pumpkins fed the 300+ animals currently living at Oinking Acres Farm Rescue & Sanctuary. Oinking Acres is a family-owned animal rescue farm in Brownsburg, Indiana. Oinking Acres opened in 2017 on the grounds of a former dairy farm, and since its inception, the sanctuary has successfully rescued 500+ abandoned, neglected, and unwanted pot-bellied pigs and found homes for 350+ of them.
Image courtesy of Andy Fulks. Fulks Family Farms. 2024.
There are enough pumpkins to go around. Andy Fulks, owner Fulks Family Farm, a wool-production farm just south of Lebanon, Indiana, picked up a few trailers full of Harvest Nights pumpkins to treat his 125 Shetland, Wensleydale, and Teeswater sheep to an early Thanksgiving feast.
Fulks is always in search of discarded pumpkins this time of year, which are a delicacy for his sheep. He discovered the Harvest hook up at the end of 2023 through his friends at Oinking Acres. He was thrilled to be able to be a part of the recycling efforts this year, refecting, “They just devour them! They can munch on them all day.” He texted a picture of a few of his heard enjoying the haul.
Fulks Family Farm is a textile farm that is home to happy animals who produce wool that supply living history museums, production companies, and historical reenactments with wool gear.
Transforming The Garden at Newfields from Harvest Nights to Winterlights in one short month is no small feat. Newfields is just as delighted as our friends at Oinking Acres and Fulks Family Farms to be able repurpose the pumpkins sustainably during this busy season of giving.
Can't get enough? Check out Oinking Acres and Newfields' Instagram post to see how the pot-bellied pigs enjoyed their harvest.
Exhibition Credit:
Harvest Nights is presented by Everwise Credit Union. Contributing support is provided by audiochuck, Corteva Agriscience, Elysian Brewing Company, and Marian Inc.