Where To Pick Pumpkins In Westhampton-Hampton Bays This Fall

WESTHAMPTON-HAMPTON BAYS, NY — Heading out to a patch or field to pick the best or biggest pumpkin isn’t just about finding the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern. It’s a chance to head out with the family in a cherished fall tradition full of fun activities.

Many pumpkin patches and fields offer complementary activities like hayrides, corn mazes and games for the kids. Picking your own pumpkin also is a good way to support the local farmers who grow them.

Whether you plan to carve a jack-o’-lantern or just add some festive flair to your stoop, there are plenty of places to pick up a pumpkin near Westhampton and Hampton Bays. Here are a few of our favorites:

Fairview Farm At Mecox

- 19 Horse Mill Lane in Bridgehampton.
- Fairview Farm is open for pumpkin picking on weekends through November 3 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
- The farm includes The MAiZE, an eight-acre maze open on weekends through Nov. 3, as well as on Columbus Day.

For additional information, click here.

Fink's Country Farm

- 6242 Middle Country Road in Wading River.
- Fink's County Farm Festival runs Saturdays, Sundays, and Columbus Day through October 27 with hours from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Included with Fall Festival admission are unlimited hay rides & corn maze. Festival patrons may also enjoy the barnyard and play areas. Additional fees for U-pick pumpkins, face paint, kiddie train, pony rides and more.
- Pumpkin picking is available weekends, but only to those attending the Fall Festival.
- The barnyard is open to the public from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December 23.
- For additional information, click here.

Harbes Family Farm

Harbes Farm offers three locations, Harbes Family Farm in Mattituck, Harbes Farm in Jamesport, and Harbes Farm and Orchard in Riverhead.

Pumpkin picking takes place at:

Harbes Family Farm, 715 Sound Ave, Mattituck.

- Open seven days a week through October, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- 8 acres of on-the-vine U-pick pumpkins.
- Many different varieties available.
- Located across the street from the Mattituck Farm Stand.- Pumpkins sold by the pound.

Harbes Farms Jamesport, 1223 Main Road, Jamesport.

- Open weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- 9 acres of on-the-vine U-pick pumpkins.
- Many different varieties available.
- Pumpkins sold by the pound.

Harbes Orchard, 5698 Sound Ave, Riverhead

- Pumpkin patch open on weekends and holidays only 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on weekends, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October.
- 9 acres of on-the-vine U-Pick pumpkins.
-Many different varieties available.
- Pumpkins sold by the pound.
- Requires purchasing an apple picking package to pick pumpkins.
- Harbes offers a great array of corn mazes and fall hayrides.

For additional information, click here and here.

For full details on all the fun at Harbes, click here.

Hank's PumpkinTown

- 240 Montauk Highway in Water Mill
- Hanks PumpkinTown has pumpkin picking, apple picking, corn mazes, wagon rides, corn train rides, giant slides, games, playgrounds, duck races, and more.
- Hank’s is open for family activities and pumpkin picking every day from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Apple picking is only available on weekends and and school holidays. Wagon rides, corn train rides and jump pad not available on non-holiday weekdays.

For additional information, click here.

Helen's Pumpkin Farm

- 1061 Union Ave., Aquebogue
- Pumpkin picking, apple picking, corn maze seven days a week; the farmstand is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; U-pick apple and pumpkins and corn maze are available every day from 9 a.m to 4 p.m.
- Hayrides and the snack bar are available on weekends and holidays.

- The farm stand is open every day until November 27

- For additional information, call 631-722-8449.

Krupski Farms

- 38030 Main Road, Peconic. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- U-Pick pumpkins, vegetables. Hayrides and a haunted corn maze on October weekends.- For additional information, click here.

Lewin Farms

- 812 Sound Avenue, Calverton. Open daily except for Tuesday.
- Call 631-929-4327 for U-pick, fields close at 4:30 p.m. p.m. when available.
- Lewin's offers pick-your-own pumpkins, a corn maze on weekends and holidays through late October, roasted corn, and more.

For additional information and to call, click here.

Stakey's Pumpkin Farm

- 270 West Lane in Aquebogue.

- Stakey's is open for pumpkin picking Mon. to Fri. from noon to 5 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- No pets allowed.
- The farm also features hayrides, a corn maze, face painting, snack shack, a country store and flower house, roasted corn, apple cider donuts.
- No admission or parking fee.

For additional information, click here.

Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden

2 locations:

- 663 Wading River Road, Manorville
- Fall festival. Admission includes hayrides, a jumbo jump pad, minigolf, barnyard animals, a wooden playland, tractor pedal cars, corn maze, photo opportunities, a Lost Island tortoise enclosure and more.
- U-pick pumpkins are also available.
- Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Waterdrinker North Fork, located at 4560 Sound Ave in Riverhead.

- Open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Beer garden open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Live music Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For additional information about the new location and its offerings, click here.

Wickham's Fruit Farm

- 28700 Main Road, Cutchogue
- Pumpkin picking from the vine with a hand-pulled wagon on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sundays.
- Farmstand, where pumpkins are available, too, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sundays.
- Child-sized apple cider bottles are available to purchase for the kids, along with delicious donuts.
Closed Sundays.
- Wickham's Fruit Farm is a historic, bicentennial farm on Peconic Bay, and a family enterprise for generations.- For additional information, click here.

FOR A FULL LONG ISLAND PUMPKIN PICKING GUIDE, CLICK HERE.

Keep in mind that carving and baking pumpkins aren’t the same. The former are grown in fields to be large, more vibrant in color and relatively hollow. The watery flesh doesn’t have the same flavor as baking pumpkins, which tend to be smaller, have thicker, harder-to-carve walls and sweeter flesh. For those, you’ll probably need to head to the grocery store.

If your pumpkin is destined for a starring role on Halloween night, here are some tips for carving a perfect jack-o’-lantern. Warren Nash on YouTube also shows a step-by-step process to make the perfect carve.

Pumpkin carving kits will go a long way in getting what you need. They typically include saws, a scooper, a drill and multiple patterns.

If you're looking for the items individually around the house, here's what you could use:

• Pumpkin. Unless you have a pumpkin-growing operation in the backyard, you'll need to pick out one you like from your local pumpkin patch or a store. Make sure it looks sturdy and clean. Remember, this is the pumpkin that will be front and center on the porch for the Halloween season.
• Curved boning knife, or serrated knife from the kitchen.
• Ice cream scoop or scraper
• Paper
• Pencil or pen
• Candle or battery-operated light
• Lighter

Steps

1. Cut it: If cutting from the top of the pumpkin, make sure to do it on an inward angle, so the top won't drop inside the pumpkin when you put it back on. Michael Natiello, creative director for The Great Jack-o'-Lantern Blaze, said it's better to cut the pumpkin from the bottom, in a series of pumpkin carving tips from Good Housekeeping. That helps prevent the sides from caving in later.
2. Gut it: Use the ice cream scoop, or your hands, to remove all the seeds and other debris from inside the pumpkin. Do a thorough cleaning and make sure nothing is left sticking to the sides.
3. Trace it: Draw your design on a piece of paper before putting it on the pumpkin itself. That way, it is easier to trace the design onto the pumpkin.
4. Make the cuts: Cut out the design. Natiello said to use a fork or pencil to poke holes around the lines. When cutting, get the big pieces of pumpkin out first and clean up the edges later.
5. Light it: Light the pumpkin with a battery-operated light or candle in a holder, place it in the pumpkin then admire your work.