Picking out the pumpkins in The Patch

The Pulido family loads up it pumpkins at The Patch.

Picking out the pumpkins in The Patch

BY JACK BELCHER

staff writer

Aclassic fall tradition is carving pumpkins. People can carve whatever they want into the pumpkin, and it’s a chance for people to show their friends and neighbors their artistic talent. The key to a good carving is a good pumpkin, and people can find pumpkins The Patch, formerly Huffman Farms.

The U-Pick pumpkin farm has been operating in Ellensburg for just under a decade, and provides all the traditional pumpkin farm events including hay rides, a petting zoo and a corn maze. The fair also has two ambassadors in the two dogs who hang around, Quinn and Millie, who also serve as the kettle corn taste testers. However, there is a very strict policy stating to people not to bring their own dogs, as they can cause a lot of problems in the petting zoo and other farm

Joan Pulido finds his pumpkin at The Patch.

The Davies family. Miranda and Taylor (mom and dad), daughter Avery, Chance (red hood), Calvin (tie dye), James (camo) pick out pumpkins at The Patch. The unofficial rule for the family was if you want to take the pumpkin home, you have to be able to lift it into the wheelbarrow.

Margot (age 4), Gunner (age 7) and their dad Scott race rubber ducks at The Patch.

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Hillary Jensen said she used to be a general manager in a winery, but was laid off from the position in 2012. She owned a piece of land, but there was nothing on it, so she decided to start her own pumpkin patch.

“It was really random, I had never grown a pumpkin in my life,” Jensen said.

Jensen said she loved being outdoors, and loved making the lifestyle change from being in business to working outside. It has been a complete shift for her, and she finds the current job to be much more rewarding.

“It’s fun, anytime people think pumpkins and fall, it’s fun. They come here to make memories, and I think that’s the part that’s really cool,” Jensen said. “The people who

come here want the experience to come with it. It’s not just about the pumpkins it’s about the experience that comes with us, and across the farm that is our benchmark, we want you to have an experience.”

Th e Patch also off ers farm goods, kettle corn, pulled pork sandwiches with homemade BBQ sauce, rubber duck races, tricycle races and more. At the petting zoo, people can fi nd donkeys, llamas and cows.

Th e corn maze is 2 1/2 acres with the corn about 10 feet tall. Jensen said the weather made it challenging to get the corn they way the wanted, but they were able to push through and get it to grow.

Th e pumpkins themselves come in a wide variety of types and sizes. Th is gives people options to pick the pumpkins they want and will suit their carving best.

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