Carve Out Some Time for Local Pumpkin Patches
Local farms perfect for continuing (or starting) Halloween traditions
By Darla Rosser
I confess. I love holidays. Noisy family gatherings, good food and the comfort of long-standing traditions…what’s not to love?
Halloween is no exception. My family has celebrated this spooky holiday the same way for over 15 years, although the Jack-o-Lanterns have changed over the years. Though adults, our kids still enjoy hours at the pumpkin patch before coming to our house to carve pumpkins and watch Disney’s Scary Tales video. Only now, our children’s children join in the fracas. Halloween is more than trick-or-treat and candy. Like almost any holiday, it’s about family and old traditions seen through young eyes.
Before leaving the pumpkin patch I like to browse the farmer’s market. The slight chill in the air and the sight of fresh vegetables will usually inspire me to make a hearty stew or minestrone soup. Later, bowls of steaming goodness are consumed while Jack-o-Lantern patterns and designs are considered and debated.
After all the pumpkins are carved and newspapers full of discarded pumpkin pulp are rolled up and tossed in the compost pile, and after the little hands and faces are freshly scrubbed, it’s time to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over the scariest, funniest, or most innovative pumpkin. Finally, fresh apple crisp is enjoyed under the stars while basking in the flickering orange glow of carved pumpkins. It’s the perfect end to a perfect day.
Our pumpkin patch of choice for many years has been BiZi Farms. For about $6 admission (under 2 yrs. free), everyone will have a fiendishly good time enjoying the hay ride, animal petting area, bale and corn mazes, and exhibits. Each paid entry gets you a pumpkin of any size. Your admission also gets you a cup of cocoa or cider at the refreshment stand, a chance to make your own cider on an old apple press, and tickets for two chances at the pumpkin sling-shot. If you’re talented enough to land your pumpkin in the barrel you’ll win a prize from the BiZi farmer’s market, which has the usual produce, preserves, and handmade items. Wheelbarrows are provided for wheeling kids and pumpkins around the orange-dotted fields, and scrubbing stations make pumpkin cleanup fun and easy. All in all, a great value for six bucks.
The East Vancouver favorite is Joe’s Place Farm. Their pumpkin patch is open the last three weekends in October. Admittance is free, but plan to pay for the hay ride, corn maze and, of course, your pumpkin. Little ones will enjoy the face painting.
Another great place to take the family is the Pomeroy Living History Farm near Yacolt. Their Pumpkin Festival only lasts one weekend (this year, October 6 and 7), but it’s worth planning your schedule around. Again, admission is free, but you’ll pay for the hay ride and other activities. The hay ride takes you down Pumpkin Lane, with a stop at the Pumpkin Patch. Pumpkin Lane hosts a colorful community of straw people with pumpkin heads. Other attractions include a corn and bale maze, gift shop, farm animals, games, entertainment, vendors, a picnic area and farm cafe.
If you can’t make the Pomeroy Pumpkin Festival, I encourage you to set aside a day next summer to tour the Pomeroy farmstead. The first weekend of June through September the farm opens to the public for tours of the cabin, working blacksmith shop, barn, gardens and carriage house. Volunteers dressed in period garb offer a ‘living history’ of what 1920’s farm life was like, demonstrating candle making, quilting, steam logging, etc.
Should you decide to cross over the bridge into Portland for your pumpkin picking, you can just get lost…in one of the area’s original corn mazes at The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie’s Island.
For other pumpkin patch locations (and more than you ever wanted to know about the history of Halloween) check out Pumpkin Patches & More online. The website is full of pumpkin trivia and recipes. For pumpkin carving templates check out Sunset Magazine's site. Now to find where I stored those carving tools from last year…
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Pumpkin Patch Locations:
Joe’s Place Farm:
Pomeroy Living History Farm:
The Pumpkin Patch:
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