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Northern Cambria High School ~ Home of the Colts
Since fall is upon us and people are getting excited for Halloween, decorating at home or at school is happening right in front of our eyes. In the school, senior Ashely Leese has been getting into the spooky season spirit for a little bit. She has started to decorate her locker with so many cute fall decorations. Why is she doing all this when she only comes to school two days a week? Well, this is what she had to say "Serotonin.” Ashley is super excited about fall and all the fun things that come with it. Her locker is decorated with a pumpkin candy dish, string-lights, spider webs, and spiders. So don’t be afraid to show off your favorite decorations as well!
Trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves. Taken by Kimmy Minemyer on Murphy Spring Road.
Trees with red, orange, and purple leaves. Taken by Kimmy Minemyer on Murphy Spring Road.
As we enter into the fall months and the trees around us transition from bright greens to magnificent reds, oranges, and yellows, you may wonder to yourself, what brings on such a beautiful color change?
During the spring and summer months, the leaves create most of the food necessary for the tree's growth. A chemical called chlorophyll, which is inside these leaves, absorbs the energy from the sunlight and uses it to create this food. In preparation for winter, trees shed their leaves in order to not waste extra water for when the ground freezes. Before the leaves fall, the chlorophyll starts to break down in the leaf.
Chlorophyll reflects green light, so we see it as green. Leaves contain other pigments as well as chlorophyll. An example of this is carotenoids, which are a type of pigment that reflects orange light, so we see it as orange. During summer, chlorophyll overpowers these other chemicals, that’s why we only see green in the leaves. During fall, when the chlorophyll starts to break down, the other chemicals are left in the leaf, making it red, orange, yellow, or any of those beautiful fall leaf colors.
This year, the color changes in the leaves have been extraordinary. Temperature, light, and water supply all affect how beautiful the trees look each year. Many people thought that this year would be a bad year for the leaves, as we haven’t had much rain. However, it is best for the leaves when the temperatures are cool, but above freezing. That is what contributed to making this fall, so bright and colorful!
All About Pumpkins
By Sam Frantz and Lillian Woods
What Goes Into Growing A Pumpkin Patch?
By Sam Frantz
Pumpkins are a typical part of the fall season. You can see them decorating people’s houses inside and out. They are used in delicious recipes that are loved by all. People even carve faces and shapes into pumpkins for Halloween. But what no one talks about is how much work it takes to grow pumpkins every fall! I have some first hand experience in growing pumpkins, so I’ll tell you everything you need to know!
A Bit Of Backstory
For as long as I can remember, my grandpa, Roger Leamer, has been growing pumpkins as a hobby. He would grow just a couple plants for our family and friends to pick. My brother and I loved seeing these small seeds grow into huge pumpkins! When my grandpa retired, he decided that we should start selling these pumpkins. It’s been five years since we started selling pumpkins, and the small business has grown a lot. Our very first year, we only made $200. But last year, we made about $1800. Now that’s a lot of pumpkins!
The Pumpkin Growing Process
There is about 3 acres of land at my grandpa’s farm where we grow the pumpkins We start out every pumpkin growing season by picking out the seeds of what we want to grow. Usually we get about two or three different types of pumpkins as well as an assortment of gourds. About the second week of June is when we begin planting the seeds. All the planting and fertilizing is done by hand, not a machine. Once the seeds are planted, we wait for them to grow. Since this year was very dry and we didn’t have a lot of rain, we had to water all the plants. Watering is a very boring and long job, but it has to be done especially in a dry season. Lime is also put on the plants to prevent insects and animals from eating the plants and pumpkins.
The pumpkins usually start turning orange in early September, so that’s when the pumpkin picking starts. Before picking a pumpkin, look to make sure the whole pumpkin is orange and that it isn’t rotten. You can also tap on it to make sure it isn’t hollow inside. When the pumpkins are picked they are then loaded into a wagon. We take all the pumpkins in the wagon and wash the dirt off with a hose. Once they are all washed, they are put out to sell. The pumpkins are sold at my grandpa’s farm where the pumpkins are grown. We use the honors system for people to buy pumpkins and luckily, we haven’t had any problems with people stealing money.
An Unlucky Year
This year has been a bit more challenging than previous years. First of all, we had a very dry summer. It would go weeks without any sign of rain. This caused fewer pumpkins and the pumpkins that were harvested were smaller than normal. But the lack of rain wasn’t the only thing causing problems this year. Deer in the local area have started eating the pumpkins! For the past four years this has never been a problem, but the deer have started eating pumpkins straight out of the field, leaving almost nothing behind. They have completely hollowed a number of pumpkins and left small bite marks in others. We didn’t have many pumpkins because of the drought, but the deer wiped out even more pumpkins.
Despite this years challenges, we have still had a great year of selling pumpkins. The business is more than just getting some extra money. It’s really a chance for me and my family to bond over something that we work hard at. When we sit at the table at the end of every season to the count our earnings, we always reminisce about the past month full of pumpkins. Even though it’s tough sometimes, I’m still grateful I can share this great experience with my family. If you’d like to visit and buy some pumpkins, the farm address is 328 Colonial Road in Hastings. I hope you’ll think about us next year for all your pumpkin needs!
Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Bites
By Lillian Woods
Around this time of year a lot of people like to bake especially with pumpkin. I am going to share a favorite pumpkin recipe, if you are interested in making pumpkin oreo cheesecake bites then you will need the following ingredients below-
2 (8 ounces each) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 Oreos
1 (8 ounces) container Cool Whip, thawed
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, place the cupcake liners in your cupcake/muffin pans. Using an electric mixer or hand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy and light then add the pumpkin, sour cream, nutmeg, and flour now beat again until creamy. Continue to add the eggs and vanilla, beat until fully mixed in (do not over mix the batter). Place half of an oreo, frosting side up, in the bottom of the cupcake liners and spoon the batter into the liners. Place the other half of the oreo onto the top of the batter, frosting side down. Now bake for 24 minutes, cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to finish cooling. Keep refrigerated then crush the remaining oreos and top the cheesecake bites with cool whip and cookie crumbs. Now enjoy!!
The Farm
The Farm
This is the farm where the pumpkins are grown, picked, and sold.
Deer Problems
Deer Problems
Recently, deer have been eating the pumpkins at the farm. Here is an image of a deer caught in the act of eating a pumpkin.
Photos taken by Sam Frantz
Aftermath
Aftermath
This picture shows how much of the pumpkin is left after a deer has eaten it.
It’s starting to become that time of the year again: it’s getting cold and the leaves are starting to turn those gorgeous neutral tone colors. Around this time of the year we all like to go to haunted houses, corn mazes, pumpkin patches and watch scary movies (well at least I do). But my mom’s favorite thing is to bake. My mom and I always bake around this time almost every year and this year will be no different. From gooey pumpkin-marshmallow bars to apple cobbler, my kitchen's sweet smell is all about autumn goodness. I am going to share some of mine and her favorite pumpkin recipes.
My personal favorite was the oreo pumpkin brownies. I really like the way the salted caramel offsets the sweetness of the chocolate, the oreos add a great texture and the pumpkin just tops off the recipe. But the chocolate chip cookie recipe definitely comes in a close second. I haven't gotten the chance to try pumpkin butter yet but I'm sure it is great as well.
Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies
Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies
If you are interested in some chocolatey pumpkin caramel brownies then you’ll need the following ingredients below -
1 box brownie mix, plus ingredients called for on box
16 Oreos, plus more for topping
12 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2/3 c. pumpkin puree
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Pinch kosher salt
Warm salted caramel, for drizzling
You will need to preheat your oven to 325 degrees, prepare the brownie mix, and pour it in a pan that will later be put into the oven. Top the brownie mix with a layer of oreos and set aside the pan. In a separate bowl, now use a hand mixer or an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add pumpkin, sugar, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin spice, and salt. Continue to beat all the ingredients added until completely smooth. Bring the pan with the brownie mix back, now pour the pumpkin mixture you just made on top of the brownie mix before you put it in the oven and top it with crushed oreos.
Bake until the sides are just starting to peel and the center is only very slightly jiggly. It should take anywhere from 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Refrigerate until completely cooled at least 3 hours or overnight. When cooled remove brownie bars from the baking dish and slice. Drizzle with warm salted caramel If you want (of course you do) and enjoy!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Butter
If you are interested in making pumpkin butter then you will need the following ingredients below-
1 can of pumpkin puree
1/2 c. apple cider
1/3 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch salt
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Store in a container in the refrigerator. Pumpkin butter can go on anything, toast, pancakes, you can dip apples in it, cookies, crackers, and you can use it for icing on cake.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you are interested in making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies you will need the following ingredients below -
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. pumpkin purée
1 large egg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare 2 baking sheets. In a small bowl mix together flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, mix together butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract until combined, then add flour to the mixture. Beat on low until no raw flour appears, then fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Scoop 1 inch balls onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed up and golden around the edges for about 12 minutes . Take the pan out of the oven and enjoy!!
By Abby Toth
By Abby Toth
Having trouble finding fun activities to do during these autumn times? Well, there are plenty of fun things to do around here. Want to go out? You could go on a hayride or to a corn maze or a pumpkin patch then carve pumpkins. Into more scary, gruesome stuff? How about going to a haunted house, there are plenty around such as: Ravenwood Manor, Haunted Hollow, Field of Screams, etc. Maybe even go to The Apple Cider Festival at Prince Gallitzin State Park and checkout all the cool things they have like pony rides, live music, food vendors, chainsaw carving, and so much more.
Rather stay at home? If you are feeling up to it, make a fall dessert like pecan pie, pumpkin cookies, apple cheesecake, or cranberry cobbler. Not feeling it and would rather relax? Have a small bonfire with some friends and/or family and roast some marshmallows and hot dogs. You could also just light some fall scented candles such as vanilla or pumpkin, order one of Sheetz’s fall specialty drinks or one of dairy queens fall blizzards, lay down, and watch a fall movie.
You could even just start fall decorating the house. You could do original fall decorations or decorate for Thanksgiving, maybe even go spooky with the decorations for Halloween. Make up treat bags for the trick or treaters when the time comes. There are so many different, fun activities to do during autumn.
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