Where To Pick Pumpkins In Coventry This Fall

COVENTRY, RI — Heading to a patch or field to pick the best or most giant 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 for kids, such as hayrides, corn mazes, and games. Picking your pumpkin is also an excellent way to support the local farmers who grow it.

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

• Barden Orchards
• Escobar's Highland Farm
• Pakeen Farm
• Spring Hill Sugar House

Keep in mind that carving and baking pumpkins aren’t the same.

The former is 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 pumpkin 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, do so at an inward angle so the top won't drop inside it when you put it back on. Michael Natiello, creative director for The Great Jack-o'-Lantern Blaze, said cutting 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 sticks to the sides.
3. Trace it: Draw your design on paper before putting it on the pumpkin itself. This will make it 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, remove the big pumpkin pieces 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.