It's Pumpkin Pickin' Time

Whether you carve it into a scary jack-o’-lantern for Halloween or use it as an autumn decoration on your porch, mid-October is the perfect time to take a scenic trip and select a pumpkin.  If picked now and kept outside where it’s cool, pumpkins can easily last into November and serve double duty as Thanksgiving décor or even lend themselves to the traditional pumpkin pie.

If you’ve got kids, picking out a pumpkin is a rite of passage—almost as important as finding the right Halloween costume. 

So where to find the perfect orange squash?  There are many options. Of course, most grocery stores carry them this time of year and  has a fabulous selection. Little ones can spend plenty of time toddling among the pumpkins before choosing a beauty (bring your camera!) and the gift shop has wonderful Halloween decorations.

The has great prices on pumpkins as well and if you have pre-schoolers you might want to check out the third annual Li’l Pumpkin Day this Wednesday, Oct. 12. Starting at 9 a.m. children may choose a free locally grown ‘li’l pumpkin’ from the ’ Huckster wagon (while supplies last) and decorate it with help from the Northbrook Community Nursery School and Mustard Seed Nursery School staff. Children of all ages who arrive in costume will also receive an early Halloween treat.   

If you have the time and inclination, a trip to Didier Farms in Buffalo Grove can be a fun trip for the whole family. Located at 16678 Aptakisic Road, Didier Farms hosts a yearly Pumpkinfest that runs through Oct. 31. Activities operate weekdays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  There is no charge for admission or parking, but you can purchase tickets for various activities including hayrides that drop you off in the pumpkin patch to wander as long as you like and choose your own pumpkin. When you are ready, simply catch a ride back on the next wagon that comes along.  There are also corn and straw mazes, a petting zoo, pony rides, a moon bounce and mechanical rides.  New this year is a bird exhibit and a white tiger exhibit.

Food and drink are available in a sheltered area with plenty of tables, and fresh produce of all kinds is available for purchase as well. 

A bit farther away in Woodstock, Illinois, offers hayrides to pumpkin fields where you may pick your own (you can still pick apples there as well). You can also purchase pumpkins as well as jams and jellies and of course, plenty of apples, in the gift shop. Don’t miss the 10-acre corn maze with three miles of pathways and routes for kids and adults alike.

Another worthwhile outing is Goebberts Farm and Garden Center in South Barrington. Pumpkins abound as well as plenty of fun activities, including the Straw Town maze where kids can revisit the American Old West and an animal farm with 55 different types of animals – from kangaroos to camels.  The farm is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and also offers a café and garden store.

When you finally get your pumpkin home and carve it, take a picture and send it to us at northbrook@patch.com by Friday, Oct. 21. We’ll publish the photos of your great jack-o’-lanterns online before Halloween.