2024 Eastern Connecticut Pumpkin U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Pumpkin U-Pick Orchards in Eastern Connecticut in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for pumpkins that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have pumpkins orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

New London County

• Holmberg Orchards - apples, pears, pumpkins, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, Farm market, winery
  12 Orchard Drive, Route 12, Gales Ferry, CT 06335. Phone: (860) 464-7107. Email: holmorch@aol.com. Open: daily. Click here for a map and directions. . holmorch@aol. We begin our picking season with blueberries in early July, Call for seasonal hours, Farm Market open daily 9 am to 6 pm year-round, featuring our native fruits, vegetables, cider, pies, flowers, plants & seasonal items. and Winery Facebook page. PYO apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, raspberries, pumpkins, cut flowers. Bakery & farm winery on site. We also offer peaches, raspberries, and grape tomatoes beginning around the 1st of August. Summer apples and pears are just around the corner, opening in mid-August. By late August, we've added sun-kissed nectarines as well. Don't forget the pumpkins in late September, and our multitude of fall's bounties, including squash, gourds, Indian corn, hay bales, cornstalks and mums.' offers our customers a gourmet, specialty food shop that retains its agricultural roots and charm locally in Gales Ferry, CT. We are stocked fresh daily with the best fruits and vegetables that modern agriculture has to offer and our bakers toil early each morning at our in-house bakery to provide the freshest baked goods.
• Scott's Yankee Farmer - Apples, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Peaches, Nectarines, Blackberries, Pumpkins, corn maze, farm market, porta-potties are available, restrooms, school tours
  436 Boston Post Road Route 1, East Lyme, CT 06333. Phone: 860-739-5209. Email: info@scottsyankeefarmer.net. Open: late August to November 2. Directions: From Interstate 95 going North, take exit 71, Four Mile River Road. At the end of ramp, go right. Follow Four Mile River Road to the end. Take a right onto Boston Post Road. We are located 1 12 miles on the right. From Interstate 95 going South, take exit 75, Route 1. Continue straight off the exit to the first traffic light. Continue straight through the traffic light and go 2 12 miles. We are located on the left. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. . Store Hours: Everyday 9 am to 6 pm, Pick Your Own Hours: Weekends+Holidays: 10 am to 5 pm Weekdays: 11 am to 5 pm, Our pick your own will be closed until labor day weekend, reservations will be required. From Interstate 95 going North, take exit 71, Four Mile River Road. At the end of ramp, go right. Follow Four Mile River Road to the end. Take a right onto Boston Post Road. We are located 1 1/2 miles on the right. From Interstate 95 going South, take exit 75, Route 1. Continue straight off the exit to the first traffic light. Continue straight through the traffic light and go 2 1/2 miles. We are located on the left. No pets allowed in Pick Your Own area Farm grown fruits and vegetables, jams, honey, apple cider, Indian corn, gourds, mums Corn Maze open Strawberries 6/10-7/4, Raspberries 7/4-7/25, Blueberries 7/10-8/20, Peaches & Nectarines 8/5-9/10, Blackberries Mid August-Mid September, Apples Labor Day Weekend - 10/25, Pumpkins 9/20-10/28. We also have both kinds of pumpkin patches corn maze wagon rides. Donuts on weekends from June-November. Farm stand open April- December 31 9-5:30 with pumpkins, jams, local honey, indian corn, gourds, mums and apple cider.
• Whittles Willow Spring Farm - apples, pumpkins.
  1030 Noank Ledyard Road, Mystic, CT 06355. Phone: (860) 536-3083. Open: July to October. Click here for a map and directions. 76651"> From exit 89 off I-95, go right on Sandy Hollow Road, 1 mile, bear right on Noank Ledyard Road, farm 1/2 mi. on right. Whittle's has pick-your-own pumpkins in the fields and pick-your-own apples, and a farm market with sweet corn and other produce. (UPDATED: May 31, 2014, from the CT website)

Windham County

• Buell's Orchard - apples, blueberries, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, U-pick and already picked, gift shop, porta-potties are available, school tours
  108 Crystal Pond Road, Eastford, CT 06242. Phone: 860-974-1150. Email: information@buellsorchard.com. Open: Strawberries: Monday to Saturday, from 8am to Noon, Monday AND Thursday from 6pm to 8pm Blueberries and Peaches: Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm, Saturday from 8am to 3pm Apples and Pumpkins: Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 5pm, Sunday from 1pm to 5pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. . . Strawberries: June Blueberries: Mid-July to Mid-August Peaches: Early August to Early September Apples: Labor Day to Halloween Pumpkins: October. Strawberries -JuneBlueberries - Mid-July through August Peaches - Early August into SeptemberApples - Labor Day through late OctoberPumpkins - Late September through HalloweenOpening and Closing dates for each of our fruits are up to the whim of Nature--check with us to be sure we're open!
• Chaplin Farms LLC - PYO peaches, apples, pumpkins, and Christmas trees.
  392 Hampton Road, Chaplin, CT 06235. Phone: 860-455-1100. Open: daily from 10 am to 6, June-December. Click here for a map and directions. 21246"> Over 15 apple varieties including Macoun and Mutsu.
• DeFazio Orchard and Greenhouses - apples, blueberries, peaches, pumpkins, corn maze,
  1393 North Road, Dayville, CT 06241. Phone: 860-774-3799. Email: defazioorchardandgreenhouses@gmail.com. Open: 7 days a week from 9 am to 6 pm. Click here for a map and directions. . . is a family owned farm growing fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers. We also offer variety of Pick-Your-Own fruits seasonally. Pick your own apples, pumpkins and our corn maze are all available from 9:30 to 5 all weekend long!No reservations needed for picking ! pick your own peaches 7 days a week! Yellow and white are both available to pick!
• Horse Listeners Orchard - apples, beets, blackberries, blueberries, cucumbers, eggplants, flowers, olallieberries, onions, peaches, plums, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (Autumn, red), summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, other vegetables, Fresh eggs
  317 Bebbington Rd, Ashford, CT 06278. Phone: (860) 429-5336. Email: matthewcouzens@sbcglobal.net. Open: during store hours. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards. . There are plenty of fun times at the Orchard with free train rides, free apple cider donuts, and fresh hot apple cider to quench your thirst after pickin your own apples. Please call to make an appointment for your group to enjoy a walk around the orchard and have lunch overlooking the pond at our picnic tables. (UPDATED: June 22, 2016, JBS)
  Comments from a visitor on September 12, 2010: "We LOVE this orchard! Picking apples, blueberries, peaches, visiting the horses, pony rides, hay rides, etc."
• Lapsley Orchard - pumpkins, apples, blueberries,
  403 Orchard Hill Road, Rte 169, Pomfret Center, CT 06259. Phone: (860) 928-9186. Email: info@lapsleyorchard.com. Open: daily beginning in mid-July from 10 AM to 6 PM through December 24th. Click here for a map and directions. 53982">Lapsley Orchard . We begin the harvest season with peaches, PYO blueberries and a wide variety of vegetables. In the fall we have PYO apples and pumpkins and all you fall decorating needs. We have horse drawn wagon rides every Sunday in September and October from 12:00-4:00. Retail stand set on a 200-acre farm. Our orchards grow 50 kinds of apples, peaches, and pears. Our own cider available. Our gardens grow everything possible for the area. We offer a fall festival every Columbus Day weekend. We also have PYO starting August 1, PYO apples starting September 1st and PYO pumpkins starting October 1. Facebook page.
• Oak Haven Farm - Blueberries, Apples, pumpkins, honey from hives on the farm
  113 Khourie Road, Scotland, CT 06264. Phone: (860) 456-3333. Email: lmsmith@snet.net. Click here for a map and directions. . Fax: (860) 423-7899. . Crop availability: Blueberries available in July 4th-31st. Apples, pumpkins, & gourds available starting Labor Day.
• Palazzi Orchard - pumpkins, apples, Peaches, vegetables, flowers, raspberries and grapes, hayrides
  1393 North Road, East Killingly, CT 06243. Phone: (860) 774-4363. Open: 7 days all Fall, daily 9:30am to 5:30pm. Click here for a map and directions. 40">Palazzi Orchard Bring your family to one of Connecticut's highest hills. Spectacular four state view. 20 varieties of PYO apples. Free weekend hayrides. Peaches in August.
• Shashok's Orchard - Pumpkins, peaches
  Route 6, Chaplin, CT 06235. Phone: (860) 455-0297. Open: daily. Click here for a map and directions. . PYO peaches, pumpkins. Free hayrides September - October. Farm store open Fruit, vegetables, cider, cut and dried flowers, floral arrangements. A visitor writes on September 22, 2013: "no longer has apple picking"
• Woodstock Orchards LLC - pumpkins, apples, blueberries, vegetables
  494 Route 169, Woodstock, CT 06281. Phone: (860) 928-2225. Email: woodstockorchards@snet.net. Open: PYO blueberries July 15 to September 1; PYO apples September 2 thru October 19, Pick Your Own Blueberries each year beginning mid July through the month of August, Pick Your Own Apples each year right after Labor Day weekend through mid October. Click here for a map and directions. . "Pick Your Own Apples" are sold by the bag. We offer a 1/2 bushel and peck size bags for you to pick into. Signage at the Orchard will direct you as to where to purchase the bags (retail barn or drive up into the field).Woodstock Orchards Facebook page. Varieties offered in Pick Your Own are: Macintosh, Cortland, Empire, Macoun, Jonagold, Red Delicious, Ida Red, Fuji, Cameo and Russett. Retail Farm Stand open August 1 thru May, 9 am to 6 pm every day with our own apples, peaches, blueberries, vegetables, pumpkins and our fresh sweet apple cider along with honey, maple syrup, jams, jellies and Vermont cheese. Farm retail stand selling our own apples, peaches, blueberries, pears, vegetables, mums, pumpkins, & sweet cider along with local honey & maple syrup. PYO blueberries & apples Open Aug-May 9 am to 6 pm.

 

Pumpkin

Pumpkin Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Do you want it for a party, decoration or eating?

For a wedding or party:

See this page: Finding pumpkins for weddings

Decoration to paint or carve:

OK, Then you need only look for any pumpkin that is

• visually appealing, evenly a deep orange. The shape is just whatever appeals to you. If it grew on its side and has a flat spot, you can either make that the make or use it as part of your design!
• free from cuts, soft spots, bruises. The flesh should feel hard, and not give easily. Infections can invade easily and cause rot
• Make sure the stem is attached.

Store it carefully, especially if you pick it from the vine yourself. Cure a fresh-picked pumpkin by keeping it in a dry place. Don't handle or disturb it. Curing toughens the rind, making it less prone to rot. Pumpkins will keep for months in a cool (50 F to 65F dry, low humidity environment; such as a cool, dry basement.

Tip: If you like roasted or baked pumpkin seeds, you can save the seeds from any pumpkin!

To make a pumpkin pie!

Then you need a small, sweet type of pumpkin that has been developed for eating. They are smaller, typically about 8" to 10" diameter. The meat is much less stringy and smoother than a decorative pumpkin variety. Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A and potassium. One-half cup of cooked pumpkin provides more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A. One cup of cooked pumpkin contains only 81 calories. It's low in fat and sodium! Usually you can get these at the grocery store, and some of the pumpkin patches and farm stands have them. Be sure to tell them that you intend to use it for a pumpkin pie. Again, look for firm, no soft spots, or signs of any rot. See this page for easy, illustrated directions to make a pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin!

Varieties of Pumpkins

• Sugar - Excellent for baking
• Jack O'Lantern - most common for carving
• White Lumina - unusual, medium-sized white pumpkin
• Mini - Great for decoration
• Gourds - Many varieties, used for decorations

For a very complete, detailed list of many varieties of pumpkins and where to get the seeds, see this page!

Want to Grow Your Own Pumpkins?

Then see this page!

Pumpkin recipes

• How to prepare cooked pumpkin from a fresh pumpkin (for use in all the recipes)
• Illustrated instructions to make a pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin - the best pumpkin pie you will ever taste! (metric version for the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, etc.)
• How to home-can pumpkin (in a cooked, cubed form) and why you shouldn't home-can the pureed forms.
• Traditional Pumpkin Pie
• Chocolate pumpkin pie
• Pumpkin Spice Muffins
• Pumpkin muffins
• Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Butter!
• Pumpkin cheesecake - INCREDIBLE!!! You have to try this one!
• Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin soup - even if you normally aren't a soup lover; you will love this one.
• Butternut-Chestnut Panchetta-Bacon Soup - Pumpkin or Butternut squash combines with chestnuts and bacon, ham or panchetta in this great soup
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• No Sugar Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Cider Doughnut Recipe (with maple glaze or sugar glaze)

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers