Two Pumpkin Patches- Old Home vs. New Home

We were lucky enough to be able to make a visit back to Kentucky the first week of October and one of my must-do's every time we return is to pay a visit to Huber's Winery. Usually we just go to the winery for the day, but with Fall in full swing we decided to make it a family outing and go to the pumpkin patch as well. We love picking pumpkins and since we couldn't take them home with us, we made a trip to Bob's Corn in Washington once we got back home to get some pumpkins for house. It just so happens that Kentuckiana was experiencing a real heat wave this year that seemed likely to never end and it also just happens that we visited Bob's Corn the day after the much-hyped "Stormageddon 2016" (which turned out to be pretty uneventful).I couldn't help but keep contrasting the two trips the entire time. I'd say the visit to Bob's corn, just 25 minutes from our house in Snohomish, WA, was our first true Pacific Northwest experience. So here's a bit of a side by side comparison of our two trips, two weeks, 2,300 miles, 30 degrees, and several inches of rain apart.

The first and most obvious difference, was the weather. In Kentucky, it was a warm 80 degrees with lots of bright sunshine vs. Washington where it was a cool 50 degrees and raining!

The pumpkin field at Huber's was so inviting vs. a true experience fit for a kid.

Did I mention bright sunny field vs. a wee bit of mud?

Landon's first round pumpkin picking vs. his second round.

Family selfie in two weeks ago vs. a partial family selfie this weekend.

Adam's two picks, an original vs. bring the wheel barrel.

 

After picking, we had a cool down compliments of the world's best flavored ice cream vs. a warm sugar and spice mix of apple and pumpkin donuts. 

Landon having fun with his favorite person in the world, just getting to hang out together and being silly vs. having fun with his favorite Daddy on the apple shooter.

My comparable favorites were a wine tasting with my Dad vs. the most amazing honey crisp apples you've ever seen drenched in hot caramel.

 

Being silly on the farms in the sun vs. under the clouds.

I hope those pictures help to explain what a completely different experience we had doing the exact same activity two weeks apart. Both were fun in different ways and did have a few slight differences. Two weeks ago, we got to go to the pumpkin patch with family which was truly the best part. We really miss our family and getting to do things with people when we visit makes for great memories that we cherish forever.

And like I said, at our first outing Landon got to hang out with his favorite person in the whole world- his big cousin Taylor. Nothing beats that.

And the truth is, some of our favorite memories at Huber's have included Taylor way before Landon came into this world. In 2008, when Taylor wasn't even 2 years old we took him and died of laughter as he attempted to climb over pumpkin after pumpkin. Now when I see him in the pumpkin fields it brings back those same great memories even if he just a little bit taller.

And because this post is all about comparison how about another great year, 2010 with Taylor vs. this year.

Despite not having our family with us in Washington, we still had a great time picking pumpkins as a family of three. Landon got to wear his new raincoat, play in mud, jump in puddles and the best part, we will actually get to carve these pumpkins.

We even got to experience something completely new, washing your pumpkins! This is a much needed part of the pumpkin picking process in these parts. 

 

Of course, you don't actually have to get muddy to get pumpkins. Bob's corn has plenty of pre-picked pumpkins and gourds as well as a fake small patch up near the barn. 

Like Huber's they have a number of activities for kids, including a crazy 10 acre corn maze complete with fire pits. You can see just how insane it is HERE. We decided to skip the maze and a few other activities this year, but Landon (and daddy) had a blast with the apple shooter.

Even though this is the end of the season for Bob's corn, they have plenty of fresh...CORN and it is AMAZING!!! We had been all ready in September to get some corn and we've been dying to go back since for some more. Adam also picked up some chipotle cherry bbq sauce which he loves, because also like Huber's they have a great general store with all types of homemade goodies. They even have fresh honey from their fields which you can jar yourself. Can't wait to get some when we run out of our current stock.

Pumpkin picking is a yearly past-time, but this is the first year we've had such an experience doing it. Being with family at Huber's earlier this month was wonderful and getting a real taste of the Pacific Northwest this weekend was pretty fun. The goals were the same, the environment couldn't have been more different, and yet we all went home happy with full bellies, lots of pumpkins, and stories to share. Can't wait till next year!