I cannot even tell you how many parents, teachers and folks in general have e-mailed me asking where they can take their tiny people over the next few weeks to experience Fall on the farm.

The bounty of the Canadian harvest is what we celebrate on the second Monday of October every year. So, taking the time to connect your kids to their food through a real farm experience is something that seems so very natural.
But, I hate to say it, that is not such an easy task in the Valley.

I did, though, come up with a few pumpkin patch and local farm options - as well as a fantastic option that is within an entirely tolerable driving range - for you to experience all the fun that is Fall, pick out some killer pumpkins and enjoy a family adventure that is complete joy in my book.

There are two local pumpkin patches that I came up with.

The first is over at Seifert’s Farm Market on Knight Road. It’s small, quaint and nothing fancy. But, you can wander through the patch at will, pick out some sweet pumpkins and pick up some great veggies for dinner in the process.

The second is a stealth pumpkin patch that I discovered while on the way out to Seal Bay Nature Park. Along Anderton Road just before Watrin Orchard there’s a fantastic sign announcing none other than a pumpkin patch open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Oct. 31. The sign is at the entrance of a lovely farm. But, I have to admit that I haven’t been in yet to check it all out. If you head out on Anderton Road, turn left to continue on Anderton instead of heading to the ferry and the patch will be on your right side.

UPDATE: CVK Mom Sandra hit the patch recently and has this report: When I first drove in there, I wasn’t sure what to expect because all I could see was the house. However, we drove in further and there was a big barn and big wooden crates for pumpkins labelled ‘Shamrock Farms’. I think they provide pumpkins to most of the local stores in town. Anyhow, once in past the house, there is a big barn and inside are pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colours. They even grew white ones this year because a store requested them. The barn is also done up quite nicely for halloween with skeletons, a huge spiderweb, and jack-o-laterns that also light up.

They have a small pumpkin patch across path from the barn that they were using for school tours, but if you continue down the road/path, over a small bridge and turn left is where you’ll find the 4 acre pumpkin patch. Of course, they’ve already brought many of the pumpkins to stores, but there are still many left in the patch, and the owner did say they would be open until the end of October so there would still be pumpkins left to see.

They also have a barn/chicken coup filled with chickens and roosters. The kids can pay .50 cents inside the barn for feed for the chickens. Our son seemed to enjoy that very much as well.

Oh, they also sell garlic and homemade jam.

Thanks Sandra!

If you are looking for a super cool farm experience, Seaview Game Farm off of Williams Beach Road in Merville continues its schedule of farm tours through Mid-October. You can catch a farm tour, including a visit to their stellar petting farm, at 11 a.m. 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday for the next week. After that, you have to make an appointment. But, it’s totally worth it as this farm, right on the ocean, is absolutely gorgeous, the petting farm rocks and you get to ride out there in an old tractor. No pumpkin though.

As far as I can tell, there aren’t any pumpkin festivals in the Valley. But, that doesn’t mean you have to skip that fun all together. Make the relatively quick drive to Jinglepot Road in Nanaimo and you can get in on one very seriously cool, classically Fall farm experience at the Nanaimo Pumpkin Festival.

I talked with a guy there this morning who happily reported hay rides, kiddo pumpkin carving contests, one of the biggest giant pumpkin weigh-offs in the province and, of course, lots and lots of pumpkins. There’s no admission charge. But, hay rides are $5 for kiddos who are getting pumpkins and $2 for everyone else. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 13 and 14 (next Saturday and Sunday) and hay rides run daily after that until the end of October.

Time to hit the Farm!

Hooray!!!