10 Spots to Carve Out Time to Pick a Pumpkin
October 10, 2014
While we wouldn’t recommend camping out for the night in hopes that the Great Pumpkin will appear, classic pumpkin patches are still well worth a visit during the harvest season. Think: thick sweaters, cozy scarves, cups of hot cider — and as many soon-to-be Jack O’Lanterns and pies as you can carry.
There’s just one problem: pick-your-own farms, orchards, and pumpkin patches aren’t usually right near a subway stop. So pick a Zipcar, pick a time, and then go pick a pumpkin.
1. DIDIER FARMS, LINCOLNSHIRE, IL: If you like a side of entertainment with your pumpkin picking – not to mention snacks – Didier Farms outside of Chicago is a good bet. Host to an annual Pumpkinfest that sees rows of rotund gourds splayed out as far as the eye can see, alongside hayrides and other autumnal odds and ends, the farm also pops up 10 different flavors of kettle corn every day. No, we didn't realize there were 10 kinds of kettle corn, either.
2. TANAKA FARMS, IRVINE, CA: Stretching across 30 leafy acres, Tanaka Farms is a pumpkin lover's paradise: here, you can choose your favorite specimen straight from the vine. If you'd rather eat your pumpkin than give it a toothy grin, the farm also has other vegetables on hand to complete the feast. And for the gleefully destructive, note that the farm rolls out its "pumpkin cannon" on the weekends.
Photo courtesy of Tanaka Farms
Photo courtesy of Tanaka Farms
3. BOB'S CORN AND PUMPKIN FARM, SNOHOMISH, WA: Bob's specialty is right there in the name: alongside a 30-acre pumpkin patch (which offers over 50 varieties of pumpkin – who knew?!), the Seattle area farm hosts a 10-acre corn maze. Warm up on a chilly day at one of the reservation-only fire pits inside the maze, and then see if you're strong enough to roll home one of the farm's 200-pounders. Or, you know – a little guy is fine too.
Photo courtesy of snyferok/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of snyferok/iStock/Thinkstock
4. APPLE DAVE'S ORCHARDS, WARWICK, NY: If you're as proud of your apple pies as you are your pumpkin tarts, motor up to Apple Dave's Orchards, north of New York. The farm's orchards are heavily laden with 10 different varieties of apple, while bulbous pumpkins carpet its fields. Given that the farm is also a winery, a few souvenir bottles tucked in amongst the bushels wouldn't go amiss.
Photo courtesy of AllenSphoto/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of AllenSphoto/iStock/Thinkstock
5. G&M FARMS, LIVERMORE, CA: If strolling up to a patch and swiping a pumpkin just feels too easy, you can liven up the harvest process at G&M Farms in the East Bay. Home to an infamous corn maze that stretches for six acres, it's certain to scramble your sense of direction. Once you finally make it through, what better reward than, erm, an armful of decorative gourds?
Photo courtesy of Aneese/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Aneese/iStock/Thinkstock
6. BOSTON HILL FARM, NORTH ANDOVER, MA: Against the pretty backdrop of rainbow foliage (did we mention that you're in prime leaf peeping turf here?), you'll fast work up an appetite trawling the fruitful pumpkin patches and apple orchards at Boston Hill Farm. Luckily, there's sustenance: Every weekend, the farm serves up ribs and ice cream. As the saying goes, nothing goes together like pumpkins and ribs.
Photo courtesy of ChemicalSunrise/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of ChemicalSunrise/iStock/Thinkstock
7. MIDDLETON'S CEDAR HILL FARM, WALDORF, MD: The strawberries may have been swapped out for squash by the time October hits, but Middleton's Cedar Hill Farm still draws plenty of D.C. denizens down to its bucolic fields with the promise of pumpkins. Just be sure to set aside a day – it's a 30 minute, trundling hayride out to the sprawling patch.
Photo courtesy of Design Pics/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Design Pics/Thinkstock
8. WEAVER'S ORCHARD, MORGANTOWN, PA: Thirty kinds of apples?! No matter your affinity for pies, cakes, and bread, Weaver's Orchard's sheer bounty could be intimidating to even the most hardened of harvest chefs. Luckily, for those suffering from pomme fatigue, there are also pumpkins. Lots and lots of pumpkins. Arms hurting yet?
Photo courtesy of Jules_Kitano/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Jules_Kitano/iStock/Thinkstock
9. NAUMAN'S FARM, ST. CLEMENTS, ONTARIO: Big pumpkins, small pumpkins, green pumpkins, gold pumpkins. No, it's not a Dr. Seuss story – it's the selection at Nauman's Farm, located west of Toronto. With over 20 varieties of pumpkin, 35 kinds of squash, and thousands of individual specimens on display, this farm pretty much defines "cornucopia."
Photo courtesy of Brian Smith/Flickr
Photo courtesy of Brian Smith/Flickr
10. PINE TREE APPLE ORCHARD, WHITE BEAR LAKE, MN: With plenty of pumpkins and 25 kinds of apples on hand, Pine Tree Apple Orchard has lots of raw materials on-site. No wonder, then, that the farm is as much a destination for its picking as it is for treats like home-blended cider, apple crunch pies, apple muffins, pumpkin tarts...fall, you're tasty.
1. DIDIER FARMS, LINCOLNSHIRE, IL: If you like a side of entertainment with your pumpkin picking – not to mention snacks – Didier Farms outside of Chicago is a good bet. Host to an annual Pumpkinfest that sees rows of rotund gourds splayed out as far as the eye can see, alongside hayrides and other autumnal odds and ends, the farm also pops up 10 different flavors of kettle corn every day. No, we didn't realize there were 10 kinds of kettle corn, either.
2. TANAKA FARMS, IRVINE, CA: Stretching across 30 leafy acres, Tanaka Farms is a pumpkin lover's paradise: here, you can choose your favorite specimen straight from the vine. If you'd rather eat your pumpkin than give it a toothy grin, the farm also has other vegetables on hand to complete the feast. And for the gleefully destructive, note that the farm rolls out its "pumpkin cannon" on the weekends.
Photo courtesy of Tanaka Farms
Photo courtesy of Tanaka Farms
3. BOB'S CORN AND PUMPKIN FARM, SNOHOMISH, WA: Bob's specialty is right there in the name: alongside a 30-acre pumpkin patch (which offers over 50 varieties of pumpkin – who knew?!), the Seattle area farm hosts a 10-acre corn maze. Warm up on a chilly day at one of the reservation-only fire pits inside the maze, and then see if you're strong enough to roll home one of the farm's 200-pounders. Or, you know – a little guy is fine too.
Photo courtesy of snyferok/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of snyferok/iStock/Thinkstock
4. APPLE DAVE'S ORCHARDS, WARWICK, NY: If you're as proud of your apple pies as you are your pumpkin tarts, motor up to Apple Dave's Orchards, north of New York. The farm's orchards are heavily laden with 10 different varieties of apple, while bulbous pumpkins carpet its fields. Given that the farm is also a winery, a few souvenir bottles tucked in amongst the bushels wouldn't go amiss.
Photo courtesy of AllenSphoto/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of AllenSphoto/iStock/Thinkstock
5. G&M FARMS, LIVERMORE, CA: If strolling up to a patch and swiping a pumpkin just feels too easy, you can liven up the harvest process at G&M Farms in the East Bay. Home to an infamous corn maze that stretches for six acres, it's certain to scramble your sense of direction. Once you finally make it through, what better reward than, erm, an armful of decorative gourds?
Photo courtesy of Aneese/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Aneese/iStock/Thinkstock
6. BOSTON HILL FARM, NORTH ANDOVER, MA: Against the pretty backdrop of rainbow foliage (did we mention that you're in prime leaf peeping turf here?), you'll fast work up an appetite trawling the fruitful pumpkin patches and apple orchards at Boston Hill Farm. Luckily, there's sustenance: Every weekend, the farm serves up ribs and ice cream. As the saying goes, nothing goes together like pumpkins and ribs.
Photo courtesy of ChemicalSunrise/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of ChemicalSunrise/iStock/Thinkstock
7. MIDDLETON'S CEDAR HILL FARM, WALDORF, MD: The strawberries may have been swapped out for squash by the time October hits, but Middleton's Cedar Hill Farm still draws plenty of D.C. denizens down to its bucolic fields with the promise of pumpkins. Just be sure to set aside a day – it's a 30 minute, trundling hayride out to the sprawling patch.
Photo courtesy of Design Pics/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Design Pics/Thinkstock
8. WEAVER'S ORCHARD, MORGANTOWN, PA: Thirty kinds of apples?! No matter your affinity for pies, cakes, and bread, Weaver's Orchard's sheer bounty could be intimidating to even the most hardened of harvest chefs. Luckily, for those suffering from pomme fatigue, there are also pumpkins. Lots and lots of pumpkins. Arms hurting yet?
Photo courtesy of Jules_Kitano/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Jules_Kitano/iStock/Thinkstock
9. NAUMAN'S FARM, ST. CLEMENTS, ONTARIO: Big pumpkins, small pumpkins, green pumpkins, gold pumpkins. No, it's not a Dr. Seuss story – it's the selection at Nauman's Farm, located west of Toronto. With over 20 varieties of pumpkin, 35 kinds of squash, and thousands of individual specimens on display, this farm pretty much defines "cornucopia."
Photo courtesy of Brian Smith/Flickr
Photo courtesy of Brian Smith/Flickr
10. PINE TREE APPLE ORCHARD, WHITE BEAR LAKE, MN: With plenty of pumpkins and 25 kinds of apples on hand, Pine Tree Apple Orchard has lots of raw materials on-site. No wonder, then, that the farm is as much a destination for its picking as it is for treats like home-blended cider, apple crunch pies, apple muffins, pumpkin tarts...fall, you're tasty.
