"Pumpkin picking" WTF

Halloween celebration, don't like that at all.

Pumpkins? Whatever happened to the turnip lanterns of my youth?? I don't think we knew what a pumpkin was back in the 60s.

My Dad grew them back then, and we grew up in the 70s with his home grown pumpkins.

Please read eatsleepfarmrepeat 's post, as it answers most of the questions on here!
I must admit, in my naivete I used to think the pumpkins lying next to the vines had naturally fallen off. I can see why they would be moved to a more navigable field during this wet weather, considering they had to be cut anyway.

After a large Irish community emigrated to America, the tradition began to shift towards pumpkins, although obviously some places remain traditional. Pumpkins are much better for it; they're easier to hollow out and carve and the smell is less strong.

As before, there's inevitably some cross-cultural influence from Samhain as it shares the date.

And weren't they sods to hollow out of carve! Don't know they're born these days. When did pumpkins become the 'thing' in the UK?

Anyone who has tried carving a swede lantern will understand the appeal of pumpkins.

Nearly missed this.

Geez.

Yes, I think a family day out at the farm is a wholesome activity. We do it a few times a year - usually Halloween, Christmas and a DC's birthday. It's about time together, and time away from commitments. Couldn't give two shits about the reality of farming tbh.

If the farm makes a profit out of it then all the better, it's a small family business and it's nice to see them doing well. As so many have pointed out, there's a CoL crisis.

You trying to belittle and shame posters for enjoying an activity with their pet?
I have no words….

Pumpkins? Whatever happened to the turnip lanterns of my youth?? I don't think we knew what a pumpkin was back in the 60s.

I don’t have social media.

I did it because my child found my child found it fun and I enjoy doing things that my child finds fun.

Pumpkin picking is great!
And the muddier you get, the better!

It is so much more expensive than getting one from s shop though and you know the land owner has probably just bought them for the exact same shop and sold them on for triple the price.

Yep we went ‘pumpkin picking’ last year and it was literally just a load of pumpkins plonked in a field which were overpriced. And then a few things set up basically just for Instagram. Dc weren’t particularly interested, the only thing they were into was this pumpkin house thing but they couldn’t even play in it as everyone else was so busy trying to get their frigging Instagram photos we felt they were in the way. Haven’t bothered this year!

It’s all a bit fake but like everything you get what you can put of it and my dd enjoyed it, finding the perfect pumpkin, pushing a wheelbarrow round, looking at all the different coloured and sized pumpkins and there was a slide as well! luckily we did it on a gorgeous day pre mud; great way to spend a few hours.

It's all over Facebook! Can't see the appeal at all haha

My only criticism of it is that the place had "fill a wheelbarrow for £37 [I think)" and some people were going a bit nuts.

Maybe they realized they weren't going to sell them all? Then it avoids the food waste. I would have got some for my chickens and made lots of pumpkin soup and pumpkin puree for my dog, so I don't see that as a bad thing (as long as there was enough to go around, of course).

I took my dog to one for some photos.

Of fuck, you’ve done it now @Vet73 🤣🤣🤣

Halloween is a Christian festival. It's on the same day as Samhain but Hallowmas and Hallows Eve were initiated by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century. Allhallowtide is the season encompassing All Saints Day, All Souls Day and Hallowmas. Not hard to see how festivals for souls and saints evolved to become ghostly and spooky.

There will inevitably be influence from Samhain as it shares the date, but it's originally a Christian festival.

Plenty of farmers do this. They're just trying to survive in a crap economic climate. Nobody, unless they're thick, thinks they grew there in perfect rows of freshly laid straw.

You took your dog for photos at a pumpkin patch? I have no words....

COL crisis and people will pay for this rubbish.

COL crisis isn’t impacting everyone too badly. Even if it is, do you begrudge people a fairly cheap day out with their kids? Parents are trying to do their best. And farmers need to make money to, they’re living with the COL crisis too. I wish people engaged their brain before typing.

I used to live near lavender fields. The local roads were snarled with cars full of people wanting to waft around looking rustic. Twats.

Friends of ours have a small holding. They grow and sell Christmas trees, breed animals, etc. This year they grew and sold pumpkins on a small piece of land they had available. Very small scale, but if it’s helped them make a bit more money and people have visited and had fun, then everyone’s a winner I’d say.

We've done this two years running with young kids. £3.50 to get in, we spend a happy hour walking around, carting kids around in wheelbarrows, taking photos, watching tractors go up and down, umming and aahing over this pumpkin or that one, maybe a hot chocolate in the farm shop/cafe, then home. This year we spent £8 on four pumpkins.

It's a shit year and a shit time of year to entertain young kids, so it worked for us. My only criticism of it is that the place had "fill a wheelbarrow for £37 [I think)" and some people were going a bit nuts. I work in food waste and that's a real turn-off for me.

That's odd! We've always gone to actual pumpkin fields. Did they cover the whole car park with straw then?

Plenty of posters have questioned this pumpkin picking tourism, yet i've been called snobbish childish patronising..... whatever 🙄

No, of course we dont let six year olds do that DrMarshall fgs, but how about teaching kids the names of birds, trees etc.. taking them for a walk to observe nature around us.. or planting seeds to look after, grow things in a pot they can eat.. that to me is more 'wholesome', not going to a Pumpkin patch to toast Marshmallows and get their face painted!

Isn't it just monetizing a pagan festival imported directly from the states. It'd be more exciting to grow your own.