Autumn is here, which means cosy blankets, warm fires, leaves turning orange and… of course, Halloween!
For many, including myself, autumn is the best season of the year, moving away from the warmer weather (which was more like very hot weather this year) in summer into jumpers and scarves.
But alas, despite my love for autumn and Halloween in October, I found myself lacking a bit of spooky spirit this year.
This was when my lightning bolt moment arrived, as I thought I would try something I had never done before.
Visiting a pumpkin patch reignited my Halloween spirit
Visiting a pumpkin patch is something I have always wanted to do, but for some reason never got round to doing.
I have carved pumpkins many times, but usually using a standard one from any supermarket nearby.
This time I thought it was time to source it from a farm.
In Essex, I am lucky to have an abundance of great choices of patches to visit, but opted for Hurleys near Wickford.
Arriving, we were greeted before being directed to park and given instructions on where to go.
We grabbed a wheelbarrow to carry our pumpkins, choosing orange (on theme), and off we went.
It was an unusually warm day, but the sunshine made the farm even prettier, and the weather perfect for a day out.
Once we rounded the corner, we saw a field of pumpkins, in all different shapes, sizes, and colours!
Call me thick, but I have only really seen orange pumpkins, so seeing white, yellow and even blue ones was brilliant.
We walked around for a good half hour, eventually selecting five pumpkins for us and family to carve: two orange, one yellow, one white and one brown(ish).
On the way out, we also purchased some carving tools, some plastic teeth for the pumpkins and some light-up candles.
Once home, we got to carving, and I don’t know how to describe it, but there was a certain extra joy about carving your own hand-picked ones from a farm.
Our designs ranged from silly to scary, and once done and lit up out the front of the house, they looked great.
Our designs ranged from silly to scary, but the range of colours was something new this year and looked brilliant (Image: Newsquest)
Our carved pumpkins looked great at night (Image: Newsquest)
The whole experience really elevated my Halloween spirit, and with the tickets and pumpkins costing little more than £10, I would recommend it to all lovers of this time of year.
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How long do pumpkins last once picked?
Once harvested in September and October and off the vine, healthy pumpkins will last from three months to a whole year if they’re stored properly, the Taste of Home website explains.
It recommends opting for the healthiest-looking pumpkins and not carrying them by the stem.
Carved pumpkins may only last days to a few weeks, depending on where they're stored.
Do you pick and/or carve pumpkins at Halloween? Let us know in the comments.