Pumpkin Hunting

October kick-starts the first in a series of my favorite months.   Sure, in California we don't exactly experience crisp fall weather, but we get into the spirit of the month.  Maybe it's been due to the recession, but I feel like Halloween festivities have been rather low key this year.  I passed on decorating the house this year because thanks to some remodeling in the garage, the Halloween decoration box is a bit too hard to reach.

But I decided not to completely give up on the holiday, and take on the task  of carving a pumpkin.  However, this won't be just any jack-o-lantern.  No, this will be an intricate pattern carving TBD (to be decided for those who hate acronyms).

Yesterday, I took on the first step of the pumpkin challenge and decided to find a pumpkin.  I headed to my favorite patch in the area; Tanaka Farms in Irvine.  For anyone who lives in Southern California, it is completely worth it to make the annual trip to this place.  The giant farm is owned and run by the Tanaka family.  They really make an event out of Halloween by including a lot of activities and sights for kids and adults.  Without fail, I get lost in the corn maze on a yearly basis.   And I get a kick out of watching tiny children try to carry giant pumpkins, or push a wheelbarrow full of these orange gourds to the cash register.  The farm also includes wagon rides, a petting zoo, and sells organic vegetables year round.  Please visit tanakafarms.com if you want more information.

Anyway, after what seemed like hours and hours of hunting for the perfect pumpkin in the blistering heat, I managed to find two great pumpkins.  I've decided to post photos of the farm, particularly the area of the farm we went pumpkin hunting on (we picked the patch with the large round pumpkins out of the many other sized options. And that's my dad in the second photo.).  I will post photos of the pumpkins we chose later when I document my step-by-step carving closer to the holiday.  Part of me is super paranoid that they'll dry out and shrivel up, so I'm just going to hold off for now, and store them in the dark.