The store is situated near one of two of the family’s popular sunflower fields.

But for the first time, it felt like fall during first big weekend of visitors, which normally is Labor Day Weekend, according to Kris. And it also wasn’t nearly as busy.

She said that meant that perhaps folks were following along on social media on the Grinter Farms’ Facebook page with updates about when the sunflowers would be blooming at peak levels.

Shawn F. Linenberger

Kris, aka the Farmer’s Wife, and her husband, Ted, aka Farmer Ted, had to make signs reminding visitors to not pick sunflowers — yet.

With the cooler summer and higher levels of precipitation, the sunflowers weren’t quite ready this year for the holiday season, at least not at levels of other years. Open blooms dotted the fields, but that number was lower thanks to some visitors who plucked those fresh blooms to take home.

The fields have drop boxes where visitors can leave free-will donations — some containers being repurposed small propane tanks — but guests have picked said sunflowers when there was a full field from which to choose.

On Monday, signs were posted asking visitors to refrain from picking sunflowers.

Each year it’s all Grinters on deck, whether it’s daughters or a son-in-law or siblings and friends, to operate Sunflower General and check on the fields from time to time.

Shawn F. Linenberger

This year there have been people who happened to be in the area from Florida and Texas. There even was a family from New Jersey that recently had moved to the area.

Another family actually planned a family trip specifically to come to see the sunflowers. Kris felt bad that the sunflowers weren’t quite ready for their arrival, but the family was quite understanding.

Others asked questions while buying local goods from the store.

Asked whether these particular crops of sunflowers had seeds that were edible for humans, Kris had quite the answer.

“They are edible, but you don’t want to eat them,” Kris said with a smile.

These particular seeds for the birds and would provide a pretty strong laxative for humans.

Sunflower fields are popping up many places these days, but many folks keep coming back to Grinter Farms, with larger crowds likely coming at various times in the coming week or two as the sunflowers hit their prime period for blooms.

For many it’s become a tradition to come back to the fields that have been providing blooms since the 1970s and really hit their stride in popularity starting in 2016.

“I think it’s because of goodwill,” Kris said.

And a following that attracts national media, local TV stations and followers from around the globe.