PYO PUMPKINS
Open from 5th October
ITS ALL ABOUT THE PUMPKINS
Tickets are £3.00 per person plus 50p admin, (adults and children aged 2 and over).
This Covers
Car Parking
Allows access to the pumpkin fields for photo opportunities to admire the spectacle of acres of beautiful pumpkins ( unless as they are sold)
For the use of a Wheelbarrow ( if needed , one per family or group )
Also available
Hot drinks and Snacks available most days
Our maize maze at Cookham will be open during pumpkin season, and you will be able to purchase tickets at the farm shop or online
No dogs allowed into the farm, with the exception of guide dogs.
We will release tickets in batches so if the date you want isn’t available please re visit the website to check availability … this is so we don’t over sell the pumpkins
We prefer card payments for all purchases
The farm can get muddy if the weather is against us so please wear sensible footwear to cope with muddy conditions.
When you arrive by car , if you have a 4 x4 vehicle please park on the grassed areas to leave the hard standing areas free for regular vehicles ( electric cars best kept of grass if its wet. )
When you arrive have your phone or printed confirmation ready to be scanned, you will then be directed to collect a wheel barrow and given directions to the field where the pumpkins have grown.
Please bring your own STRONG CARRIER BAGS with you as some pumpkins can be quite heavy. ( supermarket ones are ideal)
Carving Pumpkins on site … at present we don’t have the facilities to do this , we do however have various carving kits and tools for sale in our shop
Sorry NO DOGS are allowed ( service dogs excepted)
For any further queries please email us at we will try to respond as quickly as possible ( our phone line is not manned and head office telephone number is unable to help with queries )
How To Care for your PUMPKINS
If you take care of your Pumpkins they will last till Halloween
Once carved they will last 3 to 5 days
Dont keep them in a bag , get them out , if you wash them be sure to dry them afterwards
Store them somewhere frost free with plenty of fresh air , maybe outside or in a garage, shed or un heated porch
Treat your pumpkins like any other fruit
GROWING INFORMATION
We plant the pumpkins and squash in Mid May , directly into a prepared seedbed. They are planted about 1.5 cm deep and 0.8 m apart . Germination takes about a week to 10 days, depending on the weather, and then they grow at quite a pace and start flowering in July , lots of male flowers show above the crop canopy , this attracts the bees in to pollinate the female flowers which tend to be at ground level . It is these female flowers that produce the pumpkins for you to “Pick Your Own” from the fields in October.
Read about…
COOKING, EATING and RECIPES
PUMPKIN FACTS
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The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’, meaning ‘large melon’.
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The word ‘pumpkin’ showed up for the first time in the fairy tale Cinderella
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Scientifically speaking, pumpkins are a fruit (they contain seeds) but when it comes to cooking, they are often referred to as a vegetable.
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The world’s heaviest pumpkin weighed over 2,600 pounds and was grown in Germany
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Each pumpkin has about 500 seeds
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There are more than 45 different varieties of pumpkin
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Pumpkins are 90% water, which makes them a low-calorie food
COOKING AND EATING
To prepare your pumpkin, remove stem if required and cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Remove the seeds and stringy bits , making sure to keep the seeds for toasting later, if desired.
Pumpkins are mainly water so, although you can boil or steam them, this would only increase their moisture content which would mean less flavour. The best way to cook pumpkin is to place both halves cut side on an aluminium foil tray and place in the oven for for around an hour or until soft. This can then be used for soups, pies, muffins or cakes. Another way to cook is to fry the pumpkin and put into pasta and stir-fry dishes.