You can’t help but notice that summer is changing into fall as you drive by the Coward Farm on Rte. 189. The slats on the sides of the large barns have been propped open to provide good air flow for the tobacco leaves that will soon be hanging there. You may have noticed that the plants in the front do not resemble last year’s roadside pumpkins. That’s because this year, the tobacco and the pumpkins changed places. The pumpkins are now in the back, being watered by the giant hose when the photo was taken. It’s good farming practice to rotate crops.
If you didn’t get to Coward’s during last season’s Open Farm Day, they will be on-site again this year on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can learn how tobacco grown in Granby is used (spoiler alert: it’s the cigar wrapper) and maybe even get to try a sample. Photos by Shirley Murtha