Monday, October 02, 2006

The Pumpkin Patch


Talk about a couple of rotten pumkins....

We went to Sauvie Island outside of Portland yesterday to The Pumpkin Patch. I had read about this place in a Cottage Living Magazine and had been wanting to go. What fun! Inside the market you can purchase, for very good prices, all of the different produce and flowers that are grown on the farm. We came home with pears, corn, brocolli, squash, potatoes, and apples. I could have bought everything in the store, but didn't come prepared. I had no idea that there would be so much!
One of the big reasons that we wan't to go was for the corn maze. I've always wanted to do this, but never have made it to one. We paid our maze admission, took a trivia card to help make decisions inside the maze and were on our way. This years theme was farming, so the aerial view of the maze looked like a farmer on a tractor pulling a wagon with the sun in the sky. At one point we got into the hub of a tractor wheel and went around and around the spokes trying to find the correct way out. They have "Corn Cops" who wander around in the maze to help anybody out that gets absolutely turned around.

Yeah! We conquered the corn maze. What fun it was to just wander around in those stalks of corn, giggling and laughing, trying to find our way. Riff turned off his built in surveyors radar for the day and just let us wander. They host a Haunted Maze for the last three weekends in October. You come at night with a flashlight and try to make your way through with ghosts and goblins on your heels. We may go back for that. Sounds like a lot of fun. Shilo says it may be to scary for her!

After the maze, we climbed on the hay wagon that took us down to the pumpkin fields. There we scavenged the fields for the perfect pumpkin. Since Dustin could walk, he has always tried to get the biggest pumpkin he could possibly find. I made the rule when he was very small that he could only get one that he could pick up and carry himself. He is 14 now and bigger than me, so I do need to come up with a different rule. Maybe it shouldn't be bigger than his head!?

To top it off, I watched them making the prettiest caramel apples I have ever seen. I am not a caramel apple fan and never buy them. These were so pretty that I couldn't resist, so I handed over my $3.00, unwrapped that apple and fell in love. My gosh, you have to taste these things. The caramel is homemade, soft but not gooey, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. You take a bite and actually come away with a mouth full of caramel and apple. I'm not sure what type of apple she was using, but they were incredible. The best caramel apple you will ever wrap your lips around!

May you all be blessed with incredible fall days, just right to let yourself get lost in a corn maze...

5 comments:

kansasrose said...

How fun! With a name like Pumpkin patch market it had to be great! Those corn mazes are wild! I went through one at night with my youngest girls Girl Scout Troop...and there were no "corn cops" to help! :O Those caramel apples make me hungry!!!!! Did you buy the huge pumpkin?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a perfect start to autumn. What a great, fun place! Those caramel apples look too good to be true! I love Fall!

Anonymous said...

Can you please send over a caramel apple for me :-)

Anonymous said...

Hey Birthday girl! Wow, The Pumpkin patch market sounds awsome!
I want to go! Dawn always wants to go in a corn maze. I bet I would get lost!
I sent your Birthday gift today.
Sorry it's late!

Barb said...

What a wonderful way to spend a day! I love the name of the market and I love all that wonderful produce. It's always amazed me how they can make these corn mazes. I've seen aerials views and it bewilders me how they can do it working on the ground. How fun. Perfect autumn activity.