LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — For places like the Farm Basket in Dallas in Luzerne County's Back Mountain, the fall season is all about pumpkins.
"There's a lot of different kinds of pumpkins. There are so many we could be here an hour naming all of the pumpkins," said Marion Welliver, owner of the Farm Basket.
From decorating porches to carving, there are a lot of uses for the gourd after the season is done Marion Welliver tells Newswatch 16 she donates some of the leftover pumpkins to an animal shelter.
"There are a lot of uses for old pumpkins, you don't have to throw them away in the woods," said Welliver.
The Lands at Hillside Farms near Shavertown will also take pumpkins off your hands.
Now through November 18th, anyone can drop off carved or whole pumpkins at the farm for the resident pigs to munch on.
"Otis is probably the most well-known. He's sort of miserable, but everybody loves him. He's arthritic and getting older, he's a good pig- just getting older. Then we have Pua she's super sweet, she is younger, a potbelly as well. Then we have two 800 pounders. Sunshine and mercury," explained executive director of the Lands at Hillside Farms, Chet Mozloom.
Pua was the first to pig out on the seasonal treat.
The farm has collected pumpkins for the pigs for nearly a decade. It's part of their mission for sustainability.
"There is the whole compost, recycling, environmental edge to it and reuse. But to me, it's community. It's so cool that people even care enough to drive over here and drop them off," said Mozloom.
The farm asks people to drop pumpkins off at the administration building, free from paint or other harmful materials. These pumpkins will feed the animals for months to come.
"They hold really well as opposed to grain and hay, it's diversity of food. They play with them and rip them apart." said Mozloom.
The pigs aren't the only animals at the Lands at Hillside Farms who will get a taste of that pumpkin, staff tell Newswatch 16 the retired cows and goats will get some too.