Pumpkin Pickin'

Halloween falls on Wednesday, so this is your last chance to carve a jack-o-lantern!

Over the past two weeks, I’ve gone to two pumpkin carving parties – I don’t think I even went to that many as a child. But there’s something about going to a pumpkin patch and then spending all night carving that makes me feel like a kid again; especially as I realized that my pumpkin carving technique is about as advanced as a four-year-old.

Even though we didn’t make it to a pumpkin patch before the first party and had to buy pumpkins from the wooden bin in front of Pick ‘n Save (not the best place to get a good pumpkin) we did end up going to a slightly more conventional “patch” last Saturday.

 

After our feast of pumpkin pancakes at the Original Pancake House, Eric and I noticed that while we were gorging ourselves, volunteers were unloading hundreds of pumpkins from wagons and trucks and onto the grassy courtyard of St. Mark’s Church. In no time, pumpkins in every size and shape covered the lawn.

With full bellies, we crossed the street and began to poke and prod at the vast selection. Most of the pumpkins were colored bright orange, but some had bruises, scars and soft spots probably from being jostled around during shipment, so we decided to bypass those.

Not only should you check your pumpkin for holes and bruises, you should knock on each pumpkin before you buy it to see if it’s ripe. A pumpkin that isn't rotten will make a hollow sound. For other pumpkin picking tips, check out this site.

According to a couple of websites, the very best place to purchase a pumpkin is at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch because that way you’re assured that your pumpkin is fresh from the field. St. Mark’s wasn’t quite that, but it was certainly better than grabbing a beat-up pumpkin from the nearest supermarket again. And since all of the money collected for the pumpkins goes to benefit several good causes – Eastside Senior Services, Habitat for Humanity, The Gathering, Sojourner Truth House and the Navajo Indian Reservation – we chose to get our pumpkins at the church sale and didn’t feel guilty about it.

After paying a couple dollars a piece for our pumpkins, we trudged back to my apartment. On the way, we stopped at a bake sale where two ladies sat at a folding table stacked with paper plates, plastic bags and Tupperware filled with homemade cookies, brownies, cupcakes, dessert breads and other baked goods. Even with our pants on the verge of bursting, we couldn’t resist the pumpkin bread or snicker doodles. Now that our arms were as full as our stomachs, we were ready to go home.

Later that night we lugged our pumpkins over to Ryan’s house and once everyone assembled in his garage, the pumpkin carving fun began.

I hadn’t carved a pumpkin since I was in elementary school and since then, it seems that pumpkin carving has evolved a bit. You wouldn’t think that an old tradition such as this could really change that much. But companies now offer computer software for making carving patterns, electric cutting tools and multicolored LED lights that are a lot safer than candles and don’t require re-lighting.

At the party several people were actually using patterns they got from a book at the grocery store while others traced stencils found online at sites like this and this, or by making their own stencil here. At the same time, several people used fancy carving knives or jigsaws to make intricate designs. Even such an elementary challenge took time, planning and a little skill. If you'd like some help, here's a site where you can find useful pumpkin carving tips.

While I opted for a pre-picked pumpkin this year, southeastern Wisconsin is packed full of farms that allow you to pick your own pumpkin and offer a host of other attractions and treats as well. Although Halloween is next week, you still have time to carve your jack-o-lantern, but you need to hurry up!

To get you motivated and to make things easier for you, I did a search on the internet and found a bunch of places where you can go to pick your pumpkin. Here's the list:

Apple Barn Orchard & Winery
W6384 Sugar Creek Rd., Elkhorn
(262) 728-3266

Apple Holler
5006 S. Sylvania Ave., Sturtevant
(262) 886-8500

Barthel Fruit Farm
12246 N. Farmdale Rd., Mequon
(262) 242-2737

Basse's Country Delight
S70 W16050 Janesville Rd., Muskego
(262) 422-0315

Bear Den Zoo and Petting Farm
6831 Big Bend Rd. (Hwy. 164), Waterford
(262) 895-6430

Borzynski's Farm & Floral Market
11600 Washington Ave., Sturtevant
(262) 866-2235

Cozy Nook Farm
W39780 State Hwy. 18, Waukesha
(262) 968-2573

The Elegant Farmer
1545 Main St., Mukwonago
(262) 363-6770

Homestead Animal Farm
W320 N9127 Hwy. 83, Hartland
(262) 966-3840

Jim's Pumpkin Farm
W170 N11455 Armada, Germantown
(262) 255-1766

Lange's Country Market
24840 W. Loomis Rd., Wind Lake
(262) 895-2339

Niemann Orchards
9932 W. Pioneer Rd., Cedarburg
(262) 377-4284

Prospect Hill Garden Center
19305 W. National Ave., New Berlin
(262) 679-2207

Simon Farms Sunnyside Produce
6000 Racine Ave., New Berlin

Van Beck's Farm Market
2209 E. College Ave., Oak Creek
(414) 762-0003

Westown Farmers Market
Zeidler Union Square, 3rd & Michigan Streets
(414) 276-6696

Comments

[Mary]

I love this time of year....on Friday I spent the night craving with friends too. I take the seeds and bake them. Do you ever use the seeds? What kind of recipes do you suggest?

[Amanda]

I'm pissed. I carved a pumpking probably the same night you did and two days later I had to toss it. It got moldy!

[Eric]

I see. So my pumpkin was too ugly to put up on your site :)

[Karen]

Hey Mary, after we carved our pumpkins a couple weeks ago we baked the seeds. Well, I didn't actually bake them (some friends did), but I ate them and they were delicious! I'll see if I can find some recipies for you... and for me.

I'm glad you're enjoying the season!

[Karen]

Amanda, we also had to put our pumpkins to rest a couple days later. Boo. The inside of my pumpkin grew black, fuzzy mold - it looked like it ate my cat! Unfortunately, I didn't even get to take a photo of it before we tossed it.

Also, I heard on the news that it was a bad pumpkin season due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. I think last year it was bad because of the frost...
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Eric, your pumpkin couldn't measure up to my second prize jack-o-lantern!