Pumpkin Picking

Yesterday we drove about an hour west of Fairfax to pick pumpkins. We were at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains, and it was beautiful.

I cannot believe we were only an hour from the house! The pumpkin patch was wonderful too. Very low-key, no amusement park extras that so many pumpkin patches in the area have. Just pumpkins, wagons to haul them down the hill, and the fantastic setting.

Wiggle had a blast running around showing us all of the "orange" "pumpkins." We each picked a pumpkin to carve and/or paint, and an extra red one for good measure. Wiggle insisted on pulling the wagon, even when we were going up the hill.

C and I each managed to get our own turn as well, with Wiggle riding in the wagon, of course.

Wiggle ran, fell, and played among the pumpkins and the vines.

I managed to play a little too.

As if the pumpkins weren't enough, this farm also had greens to pick. We bought two huge bags of the spiciest mustard greens, collards, daikon radish tops, arugula, and some tender mesclun. Wiggle actually helped us pick them, and he sniffed, pulled, and tasted everything we did. Normally, he eschews most green stuff, but with everything he tried he said "Mmmmm, I like it!" The same sentiment did not hold true once we got the greens home, however.

After we were done picking, Wiggle was pooped.

On the way home we stopped in a town that shares my last name, and even better, a winery sharing my name. We did a quick tasting, bought a few bottles, and walked around the vineyard for a few minutes. When Wiggle saw a red barn, he wanted to go in to look for the cows that he was sure were inside, but weren't.

 We will definitely be going back to this pumpkin patch next year, and now I'm even more excited to explore more of Virginia.