Texans capitalize on season's best

By JULIET BRISKIN | Staff writer

Noah Vasquez, 6, with O'Connor Elementary in Victoria, selects a big pumpkin from those displayed at the Jersey Barnyard. -- Staff photo by Carolyn Rost

Oct. 28, 2004 - With most of the state experiencing record October temperatures, many Texans are finding it difficult to tap into the fall spirit. One sure way to remedy the situation is by visiting one of the numerous pumpkin patches located throughout the state.

Unlike the produce department at the local grocery store, pumpkin patches offer visitors the opportunity to browse row after row of fresh-from-the-field pumpkins and many provide an entertaining evening of hay rides, tasty pumpkin treats, jack-o'-lantern carving lessons and much more.

For many families, visiting a pumpkin patch has become a long-standing tradition and even the rising mercury cannot stop them in their quest for that perfect gourd.

"We've been hosting visitors to our farm in Celina for the past seven years," said Rick Kimbrell of the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm, located north of Dallas. "A lot of the families just make this a tradition and keep coming back every year. Each week I have people come up to me and tell me how they have been coming out here since their daughter was 5 and she's 12 now."

Another benefit of visiting a pumpkin patch or farm is that the fruit has been off the vine for a much shorter period of time, and at some farms, visitors can even harvest their pumpkin themselves.

"They all start off the same, but some of the pumpkins that may be at one of your major chains would have been cut a whole lot earlier," asserted Kimbrell. "Once they're cut they begin to deteriorate like any other plant."

While pumpkin patches can be found statewide, most pumpkins are grown in the northern and northwestern regions of the state.

"In Texas you need sandy soil, cool nights, and either a little bit of rain in July and August or be able to irrigate them," explained Kimbrell. "One of the important things for growing pumpkins is the cool nights. They can withstand the 100-degree days of August as long as they have a cool night. They will hold that coolness and you can go out on a 100-degree afternoon and put your hand on a pumpkin and it will be 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the surrounding air temperature."

Fall 2004 may be uncharacteristically hot, but the mild, wetter-than-average summer was a blessing to pumpkin farmers. "I plant in June and July and this year we grew more than we have ever grown before," said Kimbrell.

While operations like the Jersey Barnyard, located just outside La Grange, do not grow their own pumpkins, they still offer visitors with a unique experience. "Because of the high humidity down here it makes it very difficult to grow them," explained Faith Frerichs, co-owner of the Jersey Barnyard. "What we offer are Texas grown pumpkins that we hand-pick and transport ourselves from a farm outside Lubbock."

Frerichs explained that visiting a pumpkin patch is simply a fun way to shop for a pumpkin. "People come out here with their kids and take pictures, they get to see the farm animals and get to choose from a huge selection of pumpkins. We set all our pumpkins out individually, where you can see every single one and you don't have to dig through a box," she stated. "Because of how we handle them, there is less damage to the pumpkin and you are generally going to get a fresher, higher quality pumpkin."

Beyond the typical Halloween jack-o'-lantern, cooking with pumpkins opens up a whole new world of culinary delights. "There are all kinds of recipes out there for pumpkins," asserted Frerichs. "Of course there is pumpkin pie, but I've seen cookies, muffins, cheesecake, bread and roasted pumpkin seeds."

For those who have experienced the hand-cramping job of cleaning out the inside of a pumpkin, Frerichs suggested using a special scraper made by Pumpkin Masters.

"They have developed special pumpkin carving tools and they have a scraper that I highly recommend," explained Frerichs. "It's a short-handled scraper that is wide on the bottom and it makes cleaning out a pumpkin so much easier. "

Frerichs admitted that while there are new tools out there for scraping and carving pumpkins, separating and cleaning the seeds is still a messy job. "I just don't have a tip for that," she said. "As far as I know you still just roll up your sleeves and start picking out the seeds!"

To find a pumpkin patch or farm visit www.pickyourown.org and click on the Texas link. The site lists participating farms by county, but before heading out, always call first. Hours of operation tend to vary, and are often affected by weather conditions, heavy picking and inventory levels.