There’s no law that pumpkins have to be orange.
“The white pumpkins have become a lot more popular,” said Janet Fairbank of Fairbank Hands-On Pumpkin and Animal Farm in Edmonds.
Red and green pumpkins are also picking up steam.
Of course, orange is the coveted color. It’s that pumpkin shape that counts.
“If it’s a white one or a red one or even if it’s green, it’s still a pumpkin,” Fairbank said.
Her family’s farm with pumpkin patch, maze and hay tunnel has been an October ritual for hordes of kids over three decades. Thousands of pumpkins have found loving homes.
Choosing a pumpkin is serious fun.
“They look, twist and turn it and try to decide. It depends on what they have in mind, what they are going to make out of it,” she said. “Little tiny kids think they are balls and start throwing and rolling them down the hill.”
She tells about a little boy on a field trip who took so long looking for a pumpkin that the teachers got worried.
“They finally found out that his dad had told him, ‘Pick the one with your name on it,’ ” Fairbank said. “One teacher distracted him and the other teacher put his name on it. He grabbed it. He was as happy as he could be.”
Pumpkins are not only funny looking, they are misunderstood.
“A pumpkin is not a vegetable, it’s a fruit,” Fairbank said. “I don’t know why people make it a vegetable. You don’t make an apple into vegetable.”
You know why some pumpkins are green?
“It means it’s still growing,” she said, “Like the leaves on trees,” when fall comes and the tree stops feeding them. With pumpkins, it’s the same way. When it’s grown and gets off the vine, the pumpkin will orange up.”
Or white up.
Where to find pumpkins
Bailey Vegetables’ pumpkin patch: 12711 Springhetti Road, Snohomish; 360-568-8826; www.baileyveg.com. Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. Pumpkin patch, corn maze and play barn open daily.
Baylor Farm: 28511 Ben Howard Road, Monroe; 360-793-0822. Open Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31. Wagon rides, fall decorations; U-pick pumpkins, 15 cents per pound.
Biringer’s Black Crow Pumpkins and Corn Maze: 2431 Highway 530 NE in Arlington; 360-435-5616; www.facebook.com/biringers.black.crow. Noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 31. Free admission to pumpkin patch; pumpkins priced by size from $2 to $16. Corn maze, free wagon rides to U-Pick pumpkins, decorative gourds, corn stalks, fresh apple cider and apples. Dogs welcome.
Bob’s Corn: 10917 Elliott Road, Snohomish; 360-668-2506; www.bobscorn.com. Pumpkin patch open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Oct. 31; corn maze 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, night maze open 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; see website for details. Farm is part of the Snohomish Festival of Pumpkins.
Carleton Farm: 630 Sunnyside Blvd. SE, Lake Stevens; 425-334-2297; www.carletonfarm.com. Farm and corn maze open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Oct. 31; haunted swamp and zombie farm 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Thursday, Oct. 30; details at www.frightmaze.com. U-pick pumpkins priced by size starting at $1. Corn mazes, weekend hay rides, kids play areas and pumpkin cannon. Farm is part of the Snohomish Festival of Pumpkins.
Craven Farm: 13817 Short School Road, Snohomish; 360-568-2601; www.cravenfarm.com. Pumpkin patch, 9:30 a.m. until dark daily through Oct. 31. Tractor-drawn hay rides, 15-acre corn maze, new 3D adventure, storytime and more. Field trips. Farm is part of the Snohomish Festival of Pumpkins.
Fairbank Hands-On Pumpkin and Animal Farm: 15308 52nd Ave. W., Edmonds; 425-743-3694; www.fairbankfarm.com. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31. Farm includes vegetable garden, Hidden Bear Trail, maize maze and hay tunnel, farm animals to pet and feed. $3 admission, pumpkins start at $1, gourds start at 50 cents.
The Farm at Swan’s Trail: 7301 Rivershore Road, Snohomish; 425-334-4124; www.thefarm1.com. Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. Barn maze, Washington State Corn Maze, wagon rides. U-pick pumpkins priced by size. Farm is part of the Snohomish Festival of Pumpkins.
Foster’s Produce and Corn Maze: 5818 Highway 530 NE, Arlington; 360-435-6516; www.fosterscornmaze.com. Open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. “Pirate ships adventure” corn maze, pumpkin patch, pumpkin sling shot and more. One night only Flashlight Night Maze 6 p.m. Oct. 11.
Pioneer Pumpkin Patch: Directions from I-5: take exit Stanwood-Camano 212, west on SR 532, south on 88th, across from Park and Ride; 425-210-6660. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31; U-pick pumpkins for 32 cents per pound, corn maze and more.
Remlinger Farms: 32610 NE 32nd St., Carnation; 425-333-4135, ext. 250; www.remlingerfarms.com. Open Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31. U-pick pumpkins priced by size.
Rotary International Pumpkin Patch: The Plant Farm, 15022 Twin Lakes Ave., Marysville; 360-652-3351; www.theplantfarm.com. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Oct. 11 through Oct. 31. Free admission and activities, including children’s train, hayrides, petty farm, bouncy houses and more; pumpkins priced by size; map available online.
Schuh Farms: 15565 Highway 536 in Mount Vernon; 360-629-6455. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Pumpkin patch, Halloween celebrations, corn maze; call for details.
Stocker Farms: 10622 Airport Way, Snohomish; 360-568-7391; www.stockerfarms.com. U-pick pumpkin patch open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, includes corn maze, pumpkin patch, farm animals and more. Admission is $9.95 at gate or $9 online. Children 2 and under are free.
Strotz’s Country Feed: 21713 27th Ave. NE, Arlington; 360-652-6064; map and directions at www.strotzs countryfeed.com. Open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31. U-pick pumpkins starting at $3.
Thomas Family Farm: 9010 Marsh Road, Snohomish; 360-568-6945; www.thomasfamilyfarm.com. 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays, 6 p.m. to midnight Fridays, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 31. Pumpkin patches, free hay rides Saturdays and Sundays, corn maze, haunted house, Zombie Safari Paintball Ride for ages 12 and older; see website for details and ticket information.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
