2024 Northern Maine Pumpkin U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Pumpkin U-Pick Orchards in Northern Maine in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for pumpkins that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a state have pumpkins farms that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather.  See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

Aroostook County

• Goughan Farms - strawberries, pumpkins, corn maze, Christmas trees, maple syrup
  872 Fort Fairfield Road, Caribou, ME 04736. Phone: 207-498-6565. Click here for a map and directions. . They also have a corn maze in the Fall. There are two ways in which to meet your pumpkin needs. Make an appointment for a farm scenic hayride to our seven acre pumpkin field where the whole family can walk the fields in search of that Great Pumpkin or you can look through the many pumpkins we have harvested from the field and have on display next to the dairy bar. There are always hundreds of pumpkins to pick through. Pack up the family and walk through our fields to tag your own Christ tree in the Fall and winter!!! You may come back and cut your own or we will cut it for you and have it ready for you to pick up! In the Spring, Maple Syrup is collected from the sugar maple. The sap is being produced in the trees during the summer by the sunlight on the chlorophyll of the leaves, which makes sugar that is stored in the tree and then dissolved by the sap in the Spring. The sap is collected from the trees very slowly. It is made up mostly of water, containing only 2% to 4% sugar. The sap is boiled in an evaporator to eliminate the water. It takes 35 to 40 gallon of sap to make one gallon of syrup. On the average, a maple tree can produce about 8 gallons of sap or approximately one quart of syrup each season(UPDATED: October 2, 2018, JBS)
• McElwain's Strawberry Farm - pre-picked and pick your own strawberries, apples, pumpkins
  Rte 161, Caribou, ME . Phone: 207-498 8276. Email: fmcelwai@maine.rr.com. Open: Summer through Fall, call for hours and availability. Click here for a map and directions. . Open Three miles from downtown Caribou on Rte 161. We have U-pick pumpkins and apples Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm to 4 pm. Apple varieties are Honeycrisp, Macoun, Courtland, Sweet Sixteen, Snowsweet, and Freedom varieties available. Located 3 miles from downtown Caribou on route 161 (beside the Caribou Country Club), has been growing strawberries since 1985. The farm features pre-picked and U-pick strawberries which are generally sold from the end of June through most of July. A retired country schoolhouse serves as the farm's stand where a variety of vegetables including pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, sweet corn, string beans and tomatoes can be purchased when in season. Pre-picked strawberries are sold at the farm in quart boxes. U-pick strawberries are sold by the pound. You may bring your own boxes or purchase boxes and/or picking flats in the field. You may also bring your own containers (bowls, pots, etc.) and we can weigh them before you fill them. Children are welcome. (UPDATED: June 29, 2019, JBS)
• Rankin Rapids Farm - blueberries, carrots, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant, herbs or spices, melons, onions, other berries, peppers, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Spring, yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, Other fruit or veg,
  Rankin Rapids Road, Saint Francis, ME 04774. Phone: (207) 231-1262. Email: james@meradioshop.com. Open: for groups too. Directions: Please use Google Maps to find us if in doubt! GPS in your car is likely incorrect. Rankin Rapids Road is located in Saint Francis, Maine approximately 18 miles \(30Km\) west of Fort Kent, Maine. The road is near 1344 Main Street and 1370 Main Street \(dirt road in between those two residences\). Large 4x4 business sign on a pole by entrance. Drive up through gate and immediately turn left to enter strawberry areas. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, WIC Vouchers. . Alternate Phone: (860) 946-0159Fax: (877) 631-3339UPDATE for 2021, Their website is gone and there's nothing else about them that is current on the internet - I presume they have closed. Does anyone have current information? If so, please write me. Every other day as crop permits and by appointment if you woud like; Open Please use Google Maps to find us if in doubt! GPS in your car is likely incorrect. Rankin Rapids Road is located in Saint Francis, Maine approximately 18 miles (30Km) west of Fort Kent, Maine. The road is near 1344 Main Street and 1370 Main Street (dirt road in between those two residences). Large 4x4 business sign on a pole by entrance. Drive up through gate and immediately turn left to enter strawberry areas Strawberry picking from June through September as weather conditions permit!. (UPDATED: June 09, 2016)

 

Pumpkin

Pumpkin Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Do you want it for a party, decoration or eating?

For a wedding or party:

See this page: Finding pumpkins for weddings

Decoration to paint or carve:

OK, Then you need only look for any pumpkin that is

• visually appealing, evenly a deep orange. The shape is just whatever appeals to you. If it grew on its side and has a flat spot, you can either make that the make or use it as part of your design!
• free from cuts, soft spots, bruises. The flesh should feel hard, and not give easily. Infections can invade easily and cause rot
• Make sure the stem is attached.

Store it carefully, especially if you pick it from the vine yourself. Cure a fresh-picked pumpkin by keeping it in a dry place. Don't handle or disturb it. Curing toughens the rind, making it less prone to rot. Pumpkins will keep for months in a cool (50 F to 65F dry, low humidity environment; such as a cool, dry basement.

Tip: If you like roasted or baked pumpkin seeds, you can save the seeds from any pumpkin!

To make a pumpkin pie!

Then you need a small, sweet type of pumpkin that has been developed for eating. They are smaller, typically about 8" to 10" diameter. The meat is much less stringy and smoother than a decorative pumpkin variety. Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A and potassium. One-half cup of cooked pumpkin provides more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A. One cup of cooked pumpkin contains only 81 calories. It's low in fat and sodium! Usually you can get these at the grocery store, and some of the pumpkin patches and farm stands have them. Be sure to tell them that you intend to use it for a pumpkin pie. Again, look for firm, no soft spots, or signs of any rot. See this page for easy, illustrated directions to make a pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin!

Varieties of Pumpkins

• Sugar - Excellent for baking
• Jack O'Lantern - most common for carving
• White Lumina - unusual, medium-sized white pumpkin
• Mini - Great for decoration
• Gourds - Many varieties, used for decorations

For a very complete, detailed list of many varieties of pumpkins and where to get the seeds, see this page!

Want to Grow Your Own Pumpkins?

Then see this page!

Pumpkin recipes

• How to prepare cooked pumpkin from a fresh pumpkin (for use in all the recipes)
• Illustrated instructions to make a pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin - the best pumpkin pie you will ever taste! (metric version for the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, etc.)
• How to home-can pumpkin (in a cooked, cubed form) and why you shouldn't home-can the pureed forms.
• Traditional Pumpkin Pie
• Chocolate pumpkin pie
• Pumpkin Spice Muffins
• Pumpkin muffins
• Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Butter!
• Pumpkin cheesecake - INCREDIBLE!!! You have to try this one!
• Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin soup - even if you normally aren't a soup lover; you will love this one.
• Butternut-Chestnut Panchetta-Bacon Soup - Pumpkin or Butternut squash combines with chestnuts and bacon, ham or panchetta in this great soup
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• No Sugar Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Cider Doughnut Recipe (with maple glaze or sugar glaze)

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers