MAIN Home Life Fall Fun Guide Halloween

Pumpkin Harvest Time Is for Everyone
A Guide to Picking Your Own Pumpkins,
Apples & Fall Harvest Foods

Harvesting crops is only hard work if you live on a farm. For city folks and suburban families picking your own apples and pumpkins - along with fall foliage drives - is a rite of Autumn that everyone looks forward to.

While some schools get the whole class out in the fields, most kids get to go apple picking or pumpkin picking with family groups. It's a healthy day out in the fresh air and a great picture taking opportunity...but most of all it's the thrill of getting close to the land and bringing home fruit and vegetables that you actually picked.

Most farms that provide pumpkin patches for city dwellers to wander in also have hot chocolate and plenty of cider and fresh fruits to snack on. You may find a few that offer hay rides or other entertainment for before and after you go to choose your pumpkins.

Apple orchards that let guests harvest the fruit usually have cider, hot and cold, made from the very same apples that you get to bring home. Most also have delicious home baked apple pies to treat yourself with.

A word to visitors... some farmers have closed their pick your own strawberry fields because of the "nibbling" and picking... without paying for the fruit. Most small farmers are making very little profit on the produce they sell and cannot afford to give it away. If fields are to remain open, people who come to pick the fruit must respect that.

If your are looking for farms in your area that still open their fields to strangers during harvest season, the Internet is the perfect place to look...

Pick your own.com specializes in agritourism - listing farms all around the world that welcome tourists to harvest their own fruits and vegetables and bring home a crop of fresh picked produce. According to this site, September and October are the big months for apples and pumpkins, but you'll also find plenty of fall raspberries and winter squash! You can also take a look at their State & Country Listings of Pumpkin Patches, Corn mazes and other Halloween fun

North American Blueberry Council also features a growing list of places in the USA featuring pick-your-own blueberry patches.

Apple orchards, pumpkin patches,
corn mazes & more in the U.S.

also see -> U.S. Fall Foliage Coast to Coast

Buying Local Produce at Green Markets

Apple Pie Recipes | Candied Apples Recipe | Baked Apples Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Recipes | Pumpkin Carving How To's