"Pumpkin picking" WTF

[HauntedGusset]

Driving home from a visit to family today there was an absolutely massive traffic jam caused by cars entering/leaving a farm shop that also has a small events centre attached. I last passed the farm shop a few weeks ago and they had some other event on with cars parked all over the field nearest the road. Anyway today the same field was covered in huge pumpkins with families trudging round in the mud "picking" them - but they didn't grow there, they can't have done as the same field was a car park last month They've just been plonked there. Someone tell me why this is a thing?

(And no, I don't have small DC anymore so I suppose I've missed this becoming popular, I was vaguely aware people pick pumpkins but imagined it to be like picking strawberries where you actually pick them fresh from the plant, not like a crapper muddier version of just buying one from Lidl!)

I think it’s really weird. I’m with you OP. And I have a toddler and a baby so I’m not an old person having a moan about a young fad

That is very amusing! I have lived in places before when you take the little ones in the field where they grew and picked them but never have we picked transplanted ones.

Lol

it depends very much on your children’s reactions I think.

I’d have loved it if mine donned wellies and burnt off a bit of energy whizzing about with a wheelbarrow. Basically, I would have taken them anywhere and paid any amount of money to do it, so long as they had fun.

But all mine ever did on things like this was punish me with ‘what for?’ looks and complain they’re tired, hungry and cold the entire time. I’d then spend the afternoon overcompensating and getting more and more deflated, whilst H would look awkward and suck violently on his vape.

thus the frogfighter’s day out pumpkining.

ergo, I hate the idea!!!

I love it and and it’s something we look forward to each year. It’s a nice trip out, we have fun doing the faces on the pumpkins and the people at the farm cut them out for us, there’s a bouncy castle, spooky barn, pet corner, larger farm animals to see. It’s basically a glorified farm visit with pumpkins, and it really marks the season for us. My two enjoy it so much and look forward to it. Sure, you don’t have to do it but you don’t have to go anywhere so you?!

Tortilla, you are supposed to do the carving, in a ritual to prove your unconditional love that could well end up with you slicing off your fingers.

It’s all part of the Halloween ‘fun’!

Our farm does the carving too - they have a list of faces and the DC choose one. If they didn't do it, they wouldn't be cut

The vast majority of activities aimed at small kids are tedious and pointless if you don't have small kids. No need to be sneery.

No it's not.

Halloween isn't American. It was a thing in Ireland and Scotland before America existed. I love pumpkins because turnips are a bastard to carve.🎃🎃🎄

Really? You can't believe that people enjoy a day out just for the fun of it?

How sad.

It's fun and my kids love it. We spent all day at our local one last weekend because they had lots of other things to do like inflatables, a magic show and mini golf etc.

although I noticed this year some people insisted on spending ages getting the perfect photo and got in the way of people like us who actually wanted to take part in the activities. Some dressed their kids in completely unsuitable clothing considering it had rained solidly for 2 days prior, and shrieked if the little darlings even dared to look at a puddle. As if little Tarquin would spontaneously combust if a bit of dirt touched his shoes.

My parents own a hobby farm with a little petting zoo thing attached.. the new thing is pumpkin picking and they get the Pumpkins in by the pallet at about 60p per pumpkin, throw them all over the barren field and charge people about £6 a pumpkin plus they take exta takings on petting zoo and then the cafe, animal feeds etc. Mugs

It has shot up out of nowhere over the last few years. Sadly I was one of the idiots queuing up to visit one last week 🤦🏻‍♀️ I just felt it would be an ‘event’ to take my toddler to and something to look forward to. We happened to add on a ticket to an outdoor adventure park beside it and I’m so glad we did as the actual pumpkin picking took all of about 5/10 minutes. There was very little to it. I was struggling to see what all the fuss was about. It just felt very much like the garden centre were rinsing us for every penny we had. We’d already paid (I think £30) to go walk round someone’s field but we were now also having to buy the pumpkin we’d ‘picked’. The adventure park was run by them also and came to £20 for us to get in, to what is essentially a play park. There were a few attractions at it like a tractor ride or little electric cars to drive round a track but of course all of these things cost more money again!

Then when we went to leave there was no way out apart from a route straight through the gift shop (cue toddler meltdown)! They were selling burgers and hot dogs after you paid for your pumpkins too just to try and get any last drop of money off you. As we drove home I was just thinking we are about £100 down and we’re heading home with a pumpkin we could have got in the supermarket for probably three quid!

I'm a natural cynic, but even I think there's nothing wrong with this at all.

Its a fun day out doing something fairly benign. Far better than 90% of current attractions that are either rip off expensive/involve plastic tat/screen time etc etc. Let the kids get muddy and have some fun. The farmers also benefit. I'm all for it.

Who are the mugs exactly?

Punters who want to enjoy and support your parents business?

The fun sponges are out in force on this thread. So glad most posters understand childhood, economics and how to have a good time.

Crikey there's some miserable people around.

We went to one after school on Friday night, DS5 and DD2. It was on a proper farm so pumpkins home grown but obviously cut for safety. They spent ages selecting a pumpkin each - we paid £5 entry and then because their pumpkins weren't huge they just waved us through at the till. We had tea there (hot sandwiches, chips, drink and cake) then there were some fairground rides and they chose one ride each. DS declared it the best day of his life!! 🤣🤣 It was a lovely couple of hours activity.

The number of people congratulating themselves for their cleverness in noticing that the price is more than the cost of a pumpkin, who can't grasp that you're paying for the pumpkin plus an activity.

If it's not your thing, don't do it. Is this the new Christmas Eve box on here? Some absolutely harmless thing enjoyed by some families that has become the root of all evil for anyone who doesn't fancy it?

I am honoured!

As fun as it may be, fuck me, it's a lazy person thing.

I'd rather people bought them at Aldi!

Well, quite. It’s such a shitty way to talk about their customers! God forbid anyone just have a bit of fun for the sake of a few quid and support local businesses in the process 🤣

Do you begrudge your parents making a living @Rossannah ? An odd and oddly spiteful thing to call their customers "mugs".

It’s another money making fad I guess. The only ‘pumpkin picking’ I do is pick one from Waitrose.

cadburyegg

There's a range of places in my area ranging from the low key to the family photoshoot venue. As soon as someone says they're going to family photoshoot PYO I know by 7pm they'll have photos on socials at the same photo spots that everyone else did last weekend. Bonus for having coordinated outfits or autumnal themed outfits.

It doesn't seem like a very cheap couple of hours by the time you've paid to go in, then paid for your stuff, then paid to have whatever artisan thing is being sold at the food trucks/cafes at a huge mark up.

It's a genius business model and not my cup of tea, but it's a nice day out for families so offline I keep my opinions of that venue to myself.

@RedToothBrush lazy people spend a few hours walking round farms and pushing wheelbarrows and non-lazy people go to Aldi? Am I reading you right?

Bloody hell @RedToothBrush - I'm the OP who didn't get the point of it, and even I think that's harsh 🤣

I feel sorry for some people’s kids 😂 take them pumpkin picking ffs, have a proper day out for once! Rather than taking them to the supermarket (that they probably go to every week) to pick a pumpkin off a shelf 🙄 they won’t be kids forever you know!