Pick a pumpkin in the Highland Lakes
Pick a pumpkin at the Sweet Berry Farm pumpkin patch in Marble Falls every fall. The farm grows many things, like flowers and strawberries, depending on the season, but the pumpkins are brought in and set out in the field for you to walk through and examine before purchase.
The farm’s patch has a wide variety of pumpkins to choose from and a fun selection of fall-themed activities.
Farm visitors can choose to paint pumpkins, go on a hayride, get lost in a corn maze, stuff a scarecrow, and snap pictures in a number of Instagram-worthy photo spots.
Sweet Berry Farm is located at 1801 FM 1980 in Marble Falls. The 2024 Harvest of Fall Fun runs through Nov. 3. The farm is open from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays. It’s closed on Wednesdays.
You won’t find all 250 North American pumpkin varieties at Sweet Berry Farm, but you might encounter them elsewhere during the season. Here’s some of the more interesting pumpkin varieties that will haunt your October days.
PICK THESE PUMPKINS
Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins
Classic orange. Most often used for Halloween decorations as they are large and have a structure that holds up well when carved. Examples include: Autumn Gold, Jack of All Trades, Aladdin, Gladiator, Howden, Kratos, Cronus, Zeus, Connecticut Field, and Wolf.
Mini-pumpkins
Palm-size pumpkins of various colors and shapes are often used as decorations, whether painted or left natural. Examples include Jack-Be-Little, Baby Boo, Apprentice, Lil’ Orange-Mon, Munchkin, Wee-Be-Little, and Spark.
Giant pumpkins
Extremely large pumpkins are typically grown for displays and competitions—think county fairs. Varieties that commonly reach gigantic proportions include Prizewinner, Big Moon, Big Max, Polar Bear, and Big Moose.
Pumpkins of many colors
Not all pumpkins are orange. They come naturally in blue, yellow, green, salmony pink, fiery red-orange, and other shades. Pumpkins of unusual color include Porcelain Doll (pink), Cinderella (red-orange), Triamble (blue-gray), Rouge via d’Etampes (red), Jarrahdale (slaty-blue), Mellow Yellow (yellow), One Too Many (white with red/orange veins), and Green Eggs N Ham (green shades/salmon shades/marbled).
Ghost pumpkins
White pumpkin varieties, from creamy to bright, include Crystal Star, Lumina, Casper, Baby Boo, Full Moon, Cotton Candy, Silver Moon, White Ghost, Snowball, and Polar Bear.
Cheese wheel pumpkins
Pumpkins that resemble the size and shape of a wheel of cheese are sometimes called stacking pumpkins. Picture Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. Pumpkin varieties that are larger in diameter than height include Long Island Cheese, Cinderella, Fairytale, Blue Prince, Flat White Boer, and Porcelain Doll.
Novelty pumpkins
Unusual. Oddballs. Striped, splotched, or unusually shaped. These pumpkin varieties are a treat for the eyes: Hooligan, Blaze, Lil Pump-Ke-Mon, Fireball, Turk’s Turban, Mac N Cheese, Sunrise, Orange Cutie, Tiger Stripes, Bat Wing, Kakai, Fungo, Indian Doll, Yellow Scallop, Musquee de Provence.
Warty pumpkins
If you are bewitched by nicely knobby varieties, these are for you: Warty Goblin, Marina di Chioggia, Knuckleheads, Warty Gnome, Kettle Corn, and Choga Choga.
Heirloom pumpkins
Historic varieties. Bluebloods. These plants are kept true to the line; no cross-breeding here. They retain the same characteristics for generations. Well-known heirloom varieties include Cinderella, Fairytale, Connecticut Field, Flat White Boer, Jarrahdale, and Howden.
Pie pumpkins
Great for pies and desserts. These pumpkins have sweet, flavorful flesh. Put something pumpkin on your plate with one of these: Sugar Pie, Cinderella, Fairytale, Long Island Cheese, Jack of All Trades.
Pumpkins with seeds for eating
Pumpkins with hull-less seeds are best for harvesting to snack on. Scoop out the seeds, rinse, boil in lightly salted water, and roast them. Hull-less seeds are called pepitas. Pumpkin varieties with plenty of seeds to snack on include Styrian, Naked Bear, Kakai.
