Our search for the Great Pumpkin of 2014 took place at Jubilee Farm in Carnation. Ponies, pumpkins and SUNSHINE…what’s not to like about that? Last year our Halloween pumpkin search took place in the rain, but this past Sunday couldn’t have been more glorious.
Jubilee Farm is a real working farm, which is one of the reasons it’s my chosen spot to get our annual pumpkin. This bio-dynamic farm, located in scenic Snoqualmie Valley, has grown fresh fruits, vegetables, and offered meat, free from pesticides and herbicides, for nearly 20 years. They also participate in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription program, where members of the public support the farm by committing to purchase shares of its produce for a season.
Our first stop was the pony ride. Five bucks got you a horse, and a person to walk you around for a few minutes. ‘Spice’ was our trusty steed. She was a little blonde Shetland pony and Little Bird was in heaven as the two of them (mama and the horse helper) sauntered in the sunshine.
Next up: hayride in a REAL tractor to…the pumpkin patch. You can tell a certain little someone was pretty excited about this part of our adventure. They were packing ’em tight on the ride but we found a spot on a bale of hay and took a short ride to our reason for being here–picking our Halloween pumpkin!
If you plant them, they will come. Fields of orange pumpkins glowed in the sunlight. How would we ever decide which pumpkin to take home?
We searched and searched, clippers in hand, taking breaks for a snack here and a trip to the ‘nature toilet’ there (as a guide we had in Tibet once called it), until we found THE ONE. Then it was back on the wagon to the barn, where we could wash, weigh and buy our pumpkin.
But wait, what was that object we saw, flying through the sky? A pumpkin. Part of the daily routine at Jubilee during pumpkin season is the launching of pumpkins from their home built trebuchet (catapult). Definitely an audience favorite!
In addition to ponies and pumpkins, guests can enjoy lunch and snacks (including cider and gelato!), try to find their way through the hay maze, check out the farm animals (I love the running ducks and sometimes there are BIG pigs), stroll around 30 beautiful acres of cropland. And best of all…it’s free (no entrance fee or charge for the hayrides).
There is still time to head on over to Carnation, get a pumpkin or three, and check out Jubilee Farm. The farm is open Saturdays and Sundays through October from 10-5. And the farm is about a whole lot more than pumpkins. Jubilee offers farm talks, harvest tours and more!
Take the road less traveled, Beth
