I’ll take any excuse I can to get out of the city once in a while, even if it’s just for an afternoon. So, when Kira suggested that a few of us go to a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins, I didn’t think twice.

Pingle’s Farm is about an hour outside of Toronto, to the East of the city. I have a bad habit of romanticizing outings like this before they happen, and I have to admit I was definitely hoping for a tiny little farm with an old, pretty farm house and a family (with a dog) that greets you as you arrive. Like most things, though, Pingles was busy and full of lots of families with kids and everything was more modern than I expected. The land itself was sprawling and scenic and all kinds of Autumn picturesque, and once we took the tractor-pulled-wagon ride out to the actual pumpkin patch it was quiet and nice and we spent a little while just walking around deciding which pumpkins were the funniest looking, sipping coffees and enjoying the nice weather. At one point, we ventured into the corn maze, which I actually haven’t done since I was a kid. I forgot how quickly you end up lost. We made our way out, though, and tried to sneak into the apple orchard, but an old man saw us and we got nervous and turned right around. 

The farm is only about ten minutes away from one of the greatest flea markets in the Toronto area, but we weren’t able to make it before it closed, so we’ll just have to go back again soon! I’m sure it will merit a blog post all it’s own – as will the lifetime supply of soup and cookies and muffins I’m going to make with all this pumpkin!

-Meaghan