With Halloween just around the corner, autumn festivities are in full swing.
Nothing says autumn like creamy hot chocolate, pumpkin spice lattes, and fallen orange leaves — except maybe a visit to the pumpkin patch. Wrapped up warm and wandering through a muddy field to find your perfect pumpkin really sets the autumn mood.
Here are some great places to go pumpkin picking in Yorkshire that you can visit and find your perfect pick.
Horsforth Pick Your Own
W End Lane, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 5ES
Horsforth Pick Your Own offers a fun pumpkin-picking experience for the whole family and is just a 30-minute drive from Leeds city centre. These pumpkins are grown fresh by the Kemp family, who have run the local farm for years.
Throughout the seasons, the farm offers the opportunity to enjoy seasonal picking of local produce for visitors. The farm also has plenty of animals to meet, as well as fun tractor and trailer rides. There is also a play area for kids to enjoy! You need to purchase your tickets online before you arrive, as the farm gets busy during the weekends leading up to Halloween.
Swithens Pumpkin Festival 2022 Leeds
Swithens Lane, Rothwell, Leeds LS26 0BT
Put your wellies on and wander through Swithens Farm to the all-famous pumpkin patch! Pick your perfect pumpkin and meet the farm animals before letting the kids run wild in the indoor play barn. Tickets must be booked online and are limited, so get them while you can!
Spilmans
Church Farm, Sessay, Thirsk, York YO7 3NB
Spilmans is a 25-acre pumpkin patch in the middle of a family-run farm. They host various events throughout the year, including Pumpkin Fest for Halloween.
Gather your friends or bring the kids to climb Bale Mountain, shoot a pumpkin from a slingshot, and enjoy a ride on the bumper cars. Visitors must book tickets online. The farm offers a wide range of time slots, so you can enjoy the farm at a time of day that best suits your schedule.
Thornton Hall Farm Skipton
Thornton-in-Craven, Skipton BD23 3TS
Thornton Hall Farm Skip is a stunning farm location that offers an exciting range of fun, including camping, a giant play area barn, food and drink, and plenty of animals to meet and feed! The pumpkin picking activities include entry to the pumpkin patch, trick or street, broomstick training, and full access to the play area. You can purchase tickets for the farm from their website before you visit.
Cannon Hall Farm
Barkhouse Lane, Cawthorne, Barnsley S75 4AT
Located in Barnsley, Cannon Hall Farm is famous for its appearance on Channel 5’s This Week on the Farm. They offer an extensive range of pumpkins replenished daily to help you choose the best. Book an allocated pumpkin carving time and meet with the famous animals from the show. Fancy dress is encouraged, with some great prizes up for grabs! Make it a fun day out at Cannon Hall Farm when you pre-book tickets online.
Birchfield Ice Cream Farm
Oakmount House, Birchfield Farm, Summerbridge, Harrogate HG3 4JS
The gem of Birchfield Ice Cream Farm is hidden in the many acres in the valley of Nidderdale, North Yorkshire. Entry to the pumpkin patch is free, so you only have to pay for the perfect pumpkin of your choice. At an additional cost, the farm also hosts a ‘carve your own’ tent. Carve your intricate designs right here to save yourself the hassle of cleaning up at home. The farm is home to piglets, goats, ponies, donkeys, guinea pigs, sheep, and pigs, who will be more than happy to meet you while you visit. There is something for everyone to enjoy!
Butt Farm Beverley
Victoria Road, Beverley HU17 8PJ
Butt Farm is based in Beverley and is close to Hull. As well as a farm, it’s also a caravan and campsite that welcomes those looking for a relaxing stay in the countryside. Of course, the farm is also open for pumpkin picking, and the pumpkins are freshly grown by the White family. The farm has thousands of pumpkins to select from. You won’t be disappointed! Pumpkins are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colours — perfect for all spooky styles. Thankfully, you don’t need to pre-book online, and you can pop in whenever you feel like it.
With a range of places to go around Yorkshire, you won’t be disappointed with your pumpkins this year! You can essentially carve a pumpkin anyway you want to, carving out faces, animals and even ghostly figures, you can even pull some ideas from Pinterest if you are really struggling for inspiration.
What to do with pumpkin waste
The greatest thing about this fruit is that it’s entirely edible, so you can consume the whole thing with zero waste. Unfortunately, 18,000 tonnes of pumpkin are thrown out every year and end up in landfill. Ensure you re-use and recycle everything you can this Halloween!
The possibilities of creating multiple pumpkin dishes are endless! Some things you can make with your pumpkin carving leftovers include
- Halloween Pumpkin pie – After mashing your pumpkin into puree you can create a smooth rich pumpkin pie to enjoy with all the family and serve with whipped cream.
- Pumpkin soup – If you are wanting to keep warm as the month starts to feel colder you can mash up your pumpkin to create a cosy pumpkin soup recipe and can warm you up nicely.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake – If you love a sweet treat a pumpkin cheesecake maybe the one for you! This is the perfect autumn dessert.
- Banana and pumpkin seed muffins– Have a healthy start to the day with these muffins, packed with energy!
Once you have made the most out of your pumpkin, your compost bin can have the rest! Just ensure you don’t use paint on the pumpkin, as this may be toxic for them to eat.
Disposing of your pumpkin responsibly will lessen their environmental impact, and is a great way to ensure an eco-friendly and sustainable spooky season.