It’s the Great Pumpkin, Bucks County!

by guest blogger Elisabeth Villarroel

Pumpkin King at Solly's

I am lucky enough to pass Solly’s Brothers Farm Market in Ivyland on my drive home from work. Many delicious last-minute dinner plans were created by what I found there this summer. And now that fall is here I have been enjoying their beautiful displays of mums and pumpkins each day. So in late September when a giant pumpkin appeared on their lawn and signs for their pumpkin and apple U-Pik weekends were up, I knew I’d have to check it out.

Solly’s has all the elements for a fun afternoon of pumpkin picking: hayrides, hot apple cider, a children’s spooky bounce, a pumpkin carving station for kids, and, of course, a large patch full of pumpkins! I went last Sunday around 2pm; the weather was absolutely perfect and I wasn’t the only one to have noticed – the parking lot was completely full.

I immediately wanted to take a picture of the giant pumpkin and waited a few minutes to do so as families posed with the large gourd (which is illuminated at night). The hayride line was long, so next I went right for the pumpkin patch. I had been hearing about a pumpkin drought this fall because of all the rain, but it seemed as if Solly’s had been spared from the full wheelbarrows of pumpkins leaving the patch that afternoon and the carts of pumpkins out in front of the market. I wandered the patch for a little while before selecting two pumpkins just right for carving.

Lots of pumpkins at Solly's

I went inside to pay for the pumpkins and found that they still had a great selection of fruits and vegetables, as well as a large selection of homemade pies and apple and pumpkin butters, in addition to their usual selection of local honey, jam, and preserves.

Although Solly’s will have pumpkins through Thanksgiving, the last U-Pik weekend festivities will be this weekend 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday, so there is still time left to pick a perfect pumpkin for Halloween carving!

Solly’s Brothers Farm Market (http://www.sollyfarm.com/)
707 Almshouse Rd.
Ivyland, PA 18974
215-357-2850

Photos by Elisabeth Villarroel