Pretty to look at and sweet to eat, pumpkins are here

What would we do without pumpkins? Both edible and decorative, they are autumn's workhorses.

Among its many varieties of pumpkins, College Run Farms on Alliance Road in Surry has a special pumpkin called "One Two Many." This one is striped in green, white and orange with a marble pattern between the stripes. College Run's pick-your-own pumpkin patch is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Homemade pumpkin ice cream is also for sale! Call (757) 294-3970.

Gourds and more

Brookdale Farm on Mount Pleasant Road in Chesapeake continues to celebrate Pumpkin Weekends on the Farm, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays through October. Pumpkins, horse-drawn hayrides and you-shell popcorn are part of the fun. Visit www.brookdale-farm.com.

Hundreds of pumpkins are also waiting for homes at the Patio Pumpkin Patch, Five Points Community Farm Market on Church Street in Norfolk.

And all you need is one look at Stoney's Produce on First Colonial Road to catch autumn fever. The grounds are a riot of color with pumpkins, squashes and gourds of all descriptions.

Juice and veggies

Apple juice is an autumn specialty that goes hand in hand with pumpkins. Made close to home in Front Royal, A.P. Thompson's Golden Acres Apple Juice is an unfiltered, organic treat. Along with local organic garlic, kale, sweet potatoes and more, the apple juice can be found at Virginia Garden Organic Grocery in the Virginia Beach Farmers Market.

Butterbeans

Pick-your-own butterbeans are available at Henley's Farm on Charity Neck Road in Virginia Beach. Call (757) 426-7501 to check on picking conditions.

Hayman sweets

Hayman sweet potatoes are beloved by Eastern Shore locals for their white flesh - and now is the time to order them by the box from Picketts Harbor Farms in Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore. Email info.pickettsharborfarm@gmail.com for details. The Haymans will be ready for pickup Nov. 1. The farm stand will open with cold-weather crops on Nov. 1 also.

Mary Reid Barrow, barrow1@cox.net