A comprehensive roundup of the best places to pick pumpkins in Scotland this Halloween. Fun for all the family at locations in Aberdeenshire, Fife, Angus, Perthshire, the Lothians and Stirling. Keep with tradition and choose a neep, get lost in a maze, meet farm animals, dig tatties, clamber on bales and lots more. Grab your wellies and warm clothes this Autumn and experience a Scottish Pumpkin Patch.
Halloween has changed a lot since I was wee. Then it was all about homemade costumes, neeps, apple dooking, guising and not a mention of trick or treating and pumpkins. You had to do a proper turn to get your sweetie. A joke would have had the door slammed on your face. However in recent years I too have turned to the dark side and officially become obsessed with all things pumpkin, fall, autumnal, thanksgiving and pumpkin spice! I do still however bow down before anyone who attempts to carve a neep. Those bad boys are seriously hard work. Simplistic carving is the order of the day and it takes time and dedication to create a neepie lantern. Saying that, the smell of a stubby candle burning the inside of a neep is a childhood memory I would rather forget. The examples below are from Mandy at Mud Pies and Isla at Cool Gourmet. I look forward to seeing what both ladies come up with this year.
 |
| Are you #TeamTurnip or #TeamPumpkin |
Whilst its great to keep Scottish traditions alive over the past few years homegrown Pumpkins have been popping up across Scotland! Last year I visited two patches close to me in Aberdeenshire. Udny Pumpkins and Mains of Leask. So far this year I've returned to Udny for a sneak preview and also attended the press preview day at Arnprior Pumpkins who are the biggest, best and original Scottish Pumpkin Patch (est 2014).
I'm delighted to share that a sheet with some my pumpkin recipes will be available this year to visitors at Udny, Arnprior and Westerton Pumpkins so be sure to pick one up when you visit. We need to realise that pumpkins are a valuable source of food and not just for decoration.There’s more than enough flesh to do both. Cut the top off your pumpkin then scoop out the innards (but keep the seeds). Removing as much of the flesh as you can will give you plenty to cook with and will also make carving so much easier as the walls will be thinner. A win win situation! I've found that the easiest way to extract the flesh is to use a melon baller. A grapefruit knife also works well as does a pumpkin scraper or if nothing else is available a large spoon or sharp knife will do the job.
I've done a bit of investigating to try and track down as many Pumpkin Patches across Scotland as I can, so no matter where you are you can pick up a pumpkin (or neep)
Please do let me know of any others and I'll add them to the list.
*** PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE double check dates/times/availability and exactly what is on offer to avoid any disappointment ***
Wellies and Warm Clothes advised for all!
Arnprior Pumpkins Stirling 12 Miles, Glasgow 40 miles
Booking essential if travelling by car, parking voucher redeemable against a small pumpkin (or £5 off a larger pumpkin) One ticket per car, not per person.
No entry fee
13th - 21st and 27th & 28th October, 8.30am - 5pm
- Pumpkins cost between £3 and £10 depending on size
- PYO Pumkins - 8000+ pumpkins!
- PYO Neeps and Tatties
- Kale Maze
- Quad Pods
- Bale Mountain
- Face Painting
- Chainsaw Carving
- Pop Up Photography and Floristry Events
- Food and Drink Trucks - Pizza, Burgers, Coffee and GIN!
- Wellie Boot Hire
- Toilets
- Photo Opportunities
ABERDEENSHIRE
Udny Pumpkins, Udny
Sat 20th Oct to Sun 28th October 10am-4pm (Closed Mon 22nd October)
PYO Pumpkins - 750+ pumpkins
Dig your own Tatties
Booking not required - no entry fee
Pumpkins cost between £3 and £10 depending on weight
Animals to feed (sheep, hens, turkeys), baby chicks to visit, games in the field, hay bales to climb on, colouring competition.
Mains of Leask, Ellon
Sunday 28th October
PYO Pumpkins - 300 pumpkins of all different shapes, sizes and colours ready and waiting to be picked in time for Halloween.
Kale Maze, activities, meet the farm animals, learn more about farming and buy some fresh vegetables grown right beside the pumpkins.
Booking essential - please book a free ticket per pumpkin you wish to pick regardless of how many people are in your group.
Prices vary from £5 - £12 depending on whether you pick a wee pumpkin or an enormous pumpkin.
The Fairy Woods at Fedderate, New Deer
Pumpkin Patch from Saturday 20th to Saturday 27th October
Fairy Finding and Orienteering.
Hot dogs, hot chocolate, marshmallows.
Pick a pumpkin to take home.
Booking essential
Westerton Farmers, Laurencekirk
PYO Pumpkins and Neeps Weekend
10am - 4pm, Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th October
Fancy dress encouraged!
Booking not required
Vegetables for sale in the Spud Hut
Wynford Farm Park, Aberdeen
Join the full Halloween experience at Wynford Farm Park throughout the October Holidays and right up to Halloween.
All Children's Tickets are Access-All-Areas and include picking your own Pumpkin, ALL of our Animal Activities, a spin of our Trick or Treat Wheel of Fortune, facing your fears with our Fearful Mystery Boxes, our Silly Selfie Booth, and lots more fun.
PERTHSHIRE
Broadslap Fruit Farm, Dunning
PYO Pumpkins
13th-28th October
Ticketed event to allow for traffic and pumpkin management - redeemable towards purchase of pumpkins
Pumpkins cost between £5 and £10 depending on size
FIFE
Homegrown Pumpkins for sale
PYO Pumpkin Patch from 6th October
10am-5pm daily
Halloween Torchlight Maze 26th-31st October
ANGUS
Cononsyth Farms, Arbroath
PYO Pumpkins Saturday 20th October 2018, 10am - 2pm
Ticket required for car parking - redeemable towards purchase of pumpkins
Pumpkins cost between £4 and £8, depending on size
Charleton Fruit Farm, Montrose
House of Horror and Pumpkins for sale
10am-4pm until 31st October
LOTHIAN
Narrowboat Farm, Linlithgo
Pick your own Pumpkins. The field will be open for picking from 10am until dusk from 19th – 31st October 2018. When the field is unavailable the wee shed will be stocked up with pumpkins and an honesty box in place.
Free carving workshops for pumpkins purchased on site - book in advance.
Pumpkins cost between £5 and £10, depending on size.
Halloween Pumpkin Cruise - SOLD OUT!
Craigies Farm Shop & Cafe, Edinburgh
PYO Pumpkins
Kilduff Farm, North Berwick
Booking not required - no entry fee
5000+ pumpkins
Pumpkins priced from £2-£10 according to weight
Straw bale maze
Toilets
Hot Drinks & Tasty Treats from Sinclair & Rice
*** PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE double check dates/times/availability and exactly what is on offer to avoid any disappointment ***
Wellies and Warm Clothes advised for all!
🎃 Happy Pumpkin Picking 🎃
♥ Pin me for later...
This is such a great round up! Love those turnips!
ReplyDelete