Where To Pick A Pumpkin Near Lake Elsinore In 2023

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Signs of fall are everywhere, from cooler nights and turning leaves to pumpkin spice lattes and other products or that sea of orange pumpkins bedecking the entries to your local grocery store.

But if you want to get out for some fall activities or buy a pumpkin to carve for your front door — we've located a few of the best pumpkin deals for your Halloween season. Whether you’re planning to bake a pie, carve a jack-o’-lantern, or just add some festive flair to your stoop, there are plenty of places to pick up a pumpkin near Lake Elsinore and Wildomar.

For many, it isn't just buying the pumpkin. It's the whole experience of spending time with the littles at your local pumpkin patch. Most have a flurry of fall activities, games, rides, and possibly even wine for mom and dad.

Here are a few suggestions for getting out and about in Lake Elsinore and Wildomar this fall to find your perfect pumpkin or enjoy seasonal activities:

• OCT. 14: Halloween Trunk-Or-Treat: Downtown. With a haunted maze, food vendors & entertainment.
• OCT. 21: Fall Family Fun Fair & Free Kids' Activities. Free goodie bags for kids in costumes.
• OCT. 27-29: Storm Halloween Festival & Marketplace: Diamond Stadium. Trick-or-treating, kids' costume contests, midway attractions, zombie battles & more.

And if your pumpkin is destined for a starring role on Halloween night, here’s our guide to carving a perfect jack-o’-lantern. Warren Nash on YouTube also shows a step-by-step process to make the perfect carve.

Pumpkin carving kits will go a long way in getting what you need. They typically include saws, a scooper, a drill and multiple patterns.

If you're looking for the items individually around the house, here's what you could use:

• Pumpkin. Unless you have a pumpkin-growing operation in the backyard, you'll need to pick out one you like from your local pumpkin patch or a store. Make sure it looks sturdy and clean. Remember, this is the pumpkin that will be front and center on the porch for the Halloween season.
• Curved boning knife or serrated knife from the kitchen.
• Ice cream scooper or scraper
• Paper
• Pencil or pen
• Candle or battery-operated light
• Lighter

Steps

1. Cut it: If cutting from the top of the pumpkin, make sure to do it on an inward angle, so the top won't drop inside the pumpkin when you put it back on. Michael Natiello, creative director for The Great Jack-o'-Lantern Blaze, said it's better to cut the pumpkin from the bottom, in a series of pumpkin carving tips from Good Housekeeping. That helps prevent the sides from caving in later.
2. Gut it: Use the ice cream scoop, or your hands, to remove all the seeds and other debris from inside the pumpkin. Do a thorough cleaning and make sure nothing is left sticking to the sides.
3. Trace it: Draw your design on a piece of paper before putting it on the pumpkin itself. That way, it is easier to trace the design onto the pumpkin.
4. Make the cuts: Cut out the design. Natiello said to use a fork or pencil to poke holes around the lines. When cutting, get the big pieces of pumpkin out first and clean up the edges later.
5. Light it: Light the pumpkin with a battery-operated light or candle in a holder, place it in the pumpkin then admire your work.

Got a picture of your pumpkins at the patch? Send them our way for a chance to be featured by emailing your Patch editor.