Pumpkin season is upon us once more. Not only is it that tasty time of year when just about every food and drink establishment begins featuring specialty pumpkin-flavored seasonal selections, but it’s also when you begin seeing more and more pumpkins sold in grocery stores, showcased at road stands, and abundantly available at farmers markets.
Despite the peak in pumpkin popularity and their profuse presence right now, it can’t be denied that some venues are more notable for their premium picks. Delaware may be small, but this state has no shortage of pumpkin-picking pursuits. Southern Delaware, in particular, holds great acclaim for being an agricultural hub, hence prime pumpkin country. From pick-your-own pumpkin patches to farm markets boasting vast varieties beyond the ordinary orange jack-o-lantern, I’ve compiled a list of delightful Southern Delaware destinations for pursuing the perfect pumpkin.
Adams Fruit Market
Family-owned and operated since 1964, this side-of-the-road fruit market along Seashore Highway in Greenwood is one of my personal favorites to stop by and check out. They’re open seasonally between April and December and offer the finest, freshest quality produce, canned products, and baked goods, whatever time of year it is.
The autumn scene sports myriad mums, gourds galore, and plentiful pumpkin varieties. You have your carving classics, pie pumpkins, convenient field trip versions that are easy for the kiddoes to handle, Mexican hats, and so many others. And as always, in addition to pumpkins, there are other fall favorites, ranging in apples and apple products (including their own cider!) and their signature sweet white corn.
Visit the Adams Fruit Market website to learn more.
Country Living Produce
Based in Millsboro, Country Living Produce is all about providing the freshest food finds to folks year-round. They’ve been family-run since 1998, an all-season operation that offers plenty of goods, both grown and otherwise.
During the fall and winter months, for example, they are best known for their apples, pears, Brussels sprouts and greens, turnips, winter squashes, and, of course, pumpkins. They’re also renowned for grown goods that are not necessarily of a conventional edible status. These include hay/straw bales, Christmas trees and greenery, corn stalks, and colorful mums.
Discover more about Country Living Produce on their website.
Fifer’s
Two convenient locations, one in Camden-Wyoming and the other in Dewey Beach, make stopping by Fifer’s twice as nice. The Fifer family has been producing produce of the highest quality since 1919 when they moved to Kent County, Delaware, from Shenandoah, Virginia.
Their featured selections change throughout the year, based on availability. Their store in Dewey Beach operates seasonally and has rotating hours. Here they vend their farm-grown selections in bins onsite while also selling other products. They also serve up made-to-order breakfast, lunch, and other food items inside.
It’s their main Camden-Wyoming Farm Store & Kitchen that serves as their primary pumpkin destination throughout most of the autumn season. In fact, it’s here every year that they feature their ongoing Farm Festival offerings, which include U-pick pumpkins and apples along with a broad range of other activities and endeavors.
Go to the website to learn more about both Fifer’s locations and to get directions to each destination.
Little Wagon Produce
Not too far from aforementioned Adams Fruit Market and also situated along the scenic Seashore Highway route, you’ll pass Little Wagon Produce. Another family-owned and operated fruit stand favorite, they’re also well-known for their range of flowers. Summer seasonal selections here take the cake, but their large selection of fall features also makes them a top-rated pumpkin-picking pick. Again, the varieties encompass many different sorts. You’ll also discover wonderful winter squashes of other kinds, including spaghetti, butternut, acorn, and more. And don’t forget about the bounty of beautiful mums they sell here as well.
Learn more about Little Wagon Produce on their website.
Ma & Pa’s Market
Another family-owned and operated market stand along Seashore Highway, Ma & Pa’s stands out as a longtime community staple with the locals and also serves as an enticing stop for visitors on the drive-by. From spring to autumn, they offer fresh seasonal farm-grown produce. Selections change depending on the time of year, but highlighted hits include peaches, watermelon, squashes, and tomatoes especially.
This time of year, they sport a most striking and profuse offering of various pumpkin varieties, many of which are unique in appearance. They also boast so many different apple types, mums, gourds, and even quaint fall farm décor.
Visit their website for all additional details and other information.
Magee Farms
The Magee family has been providing fresh local produce, flowers, jams, jellies, honey, and more to the surrounding Sussex County community since 1895. Always non-GMO for five generations and counting, seasonal selections vary throughout the operating season. Now that we are in the fall harvest time, their main features comprise various pumpkin and gourd options, along with corn, apples, apple products, and more.
Magee boasts two great farm stand locations to come out and explore. One is directly on Lighthouse Road in Selbyville, and the other is in Lewes. They also set up shop at various area farmers markets, including those in Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island.
Learn more about each of these Magee locations and other interesting information on the website.
Marvelous Produce/The Homestead Market
Based in Seaford, Delaware, Marvelous Produce (Homestead Market) truly lives up to its well-deserved name, despite actually being derived from the surname of founder Shane Marvel, who started the business back in 2013. The market is always packed, for they boast some truly remarkable, hardy, and robust seasonal selections. And it’s not just for visiting consumers throughout the community or out-of-towners visiting the site; they’ve earned notoriety as a leading wholesaler to several area grocers and restaurants throughout the Delmarva Peninsula.
Therefore, it should be no surprise to learn that their fall offerings go above and beyond the usual roadside stand or retailer farmer’s market provisions. Sure, they have apples, pumpkins, and all the other autumn staples, but they have such plentiful variations thrown in with unique and rare finds (Smith Island cake, anybody?)—creating a truly unique and “marvelous” experience for all who stop in.
Their official fall festival will kick off on Saturday, October 5, and run through October 19. Come out for a day of fun fall follies, seasonal delights, sweet corn, mums, and of course pumpkins. Visit the website for all additional details.
Mr. Pepper’s Pumpkin Patch
A locally loved tradition for the young and young at heart in Laurel, Mr. Pepper’s Pumpkin Patch is open seasonally between late September and the start of November. As its anchoring highlight, the site features a pick-your-own pumpkin patch full of dozens of varieties all ranging in sizes, shapes, and colors. You can also get lost in a two-acre resident corn maze. Then, there are those onsite hayrides they offer on weekends.
Other endeavors to enjoy here include getting to see busy bees at work from within a glass beehive, purchasing other fall-favorite décor you may want for the home and yard, and getting all those autumn essentials, like mums, gourds, corn, squash, and more.
Check out the website for Mr. Pepper’s Pumpkin Patch to learn more.
Parsons Farms Produce
For five generations family-owned and operated Parsons Farms Produce has prided itself on providing top-quality produce throughout Delmarva. One of my personal favorite markets to visit in the area, what strikes me most about coming here is the grand abundance of variation they showcase all in one spot. There’s also that massive cow statue out front, which previously served as the iconic mascot to Ocean City’s former (now defunct) Captain Bob’s Restaurant.
Once you stop in, you will be instantly hooked as a fan for life. Outside there’s always a wonderful display of seasonal home and yard features, ranging from furniture to décor. Then there are all those seasonal offerings of produce, like tomatoes (during the summer months) ranging in so many versatile selections, wondrous watermelons of vast varieties, and more. As for the fall selections of mums and pumpkins they currently boast, you certainly have your pick. They even offer rarer varieties like the silver and green striped options and even fairytale types.
In getting back to the abundance of onsite explorations to behold at Parsons, you have a lovely market store set up inside, a petting farm with goats and other animal friends outside, and even pick-your-own offerings in the field, which, of course, change seasonally. Inside the market, there is also a café cooking up plenty of made-to-order enticing eats. And then there’s the ice cream! Varieties and flavors of all kinds are featured. You really can spend the entire day at Parsons!
Learn more about Parsons Farms Produce by visiting their website.
T.S. Smith Orchard Point Market
Straddling the corner of Route 13 and Redden Road in Bridgeville, you’ll pass T.S. Smith Orchard Point Market. Its overt location and striking site features, which include a resident pick-your-own offering and barnyard petting zoo, can be seen conveniently from the road by all passersby. This results in an undeniable draw and is one of the reasons why they’re so popular despite being relatively new, having only opened at this location in 2017.
Still, Charlie Smith of T.S. Smith and Son’s Farm is no novice. He’s a fourth-generation fruit grower who knows how to operate a successful market and farm setup. That’s why the market and onsite endeavors do well on their own in garnering praise.
The market is open year-round, with selections changing seasonally. Now that fall is in full swing, you can get all those awesome apple enticements, like their famous fresh cider, baked goods, and more enticing eats. And then there are those pleasantly pleasing pumpkin variations, mums, and so much more.
In addition to the pick-your-own fields, farm animal friends, and a well-stocked retail store, the Orchard Point Market serves up deli and bakery vittles throughout the day, allowing you to prolong your visit and make it into a full day’s outing if you choose to do so.
You can learn more about T.S. Smith Orchard Point Market by exploring the website.
These are just a few of the fantastic farms and farm stands throughout Southern Delaware, all of which are known for premium pumpkin pickings and other fall festive pursuits. There are many other locations throughout the state in addition to those highlighted here, so I encourage you to get out and start exploring the area for yourself to see what other hidden gems and seasonal offerings may be waiting in the wings.