Cowcreek Blueberry Farm celebrates fall harvest with pumpkin patch
Photo by TONIA BROOKS Percheron horses and plenty of pumpkins.
Photo by TONIA BROOKS Fancy Cinderella Pumpkins.
Debbie and Don Woods, owners of Cowcreek Blueberry Farm.
Photos by TONIA BROOKS Paula Sandelin’s Percheron team and hundreds of pumpkins were part of the fall celebration hosted by Cowcreek Blueberry Farm this past weekend.
BONNERS FERRY — The cooler temperatures did not deter folks from visiting the Cowcreek Blueberry Farm’s celebration of the harvest this past Saturday and Sunday.
Hay rides with Paula Sandelin’s Stardust Ranch Percherons, a bouncy house, yummy treats for sale, and food items from the Compass Grill were enjoyed by visitors who came out to have some fall fun and choose a pumpkin from the patch.
Two quarter-acre plots of land were planted with pumpkins in May, and were harvested three weeks ago.
“We harvested them and put them into bins in the greenhouse, until a few days prior to the Pumpkin Patch [event],” said Debbie Woods.
About 2,000 pumpkins were harvested, and after the two-day event, around 700 pumpkins remain. Woods plans on donating the remaining pumpkins to local churches.
Naples Elementary School students were invited on Wednesday to visit the farm and learn about agriculture, by way of pumpkin picking. The students were taught about how pumpkins are grown and were able to choose a pumpkin to take home during the visit.
“I enjoy people coming out to the farm, especially the kids,” said Woods, “We tell them how it grows and how to take care of it.”
Woods explained that the farm plans on expanding their offer for school field trips in the coming year.
Montana students will also have a chance to visit and learn more about the farm. Woods received a call from a teacher who wants to organize a field trip for students from Troy, Mont.
Debbie and Don Woods have owned, and have been working, the soil at their Cowcreek Blueberry Farm since 2012. They opened the farm in 2013 to the public for the blueberry, u-pick market. This is their third year offering pumpkins.
Woods said she and Don have experience with farming. “I have always enjoyed gardening and my main career was in the grocery business,” she said.
The Woods also hay more than 70 acres of fields; in addition, Debbie Woods is a Master Gardener.
“This is a labor of love,” said Woods, in describing her interest and work involved with farming of blueberries and pumpkins.
Woods has big plans, if they move forward with another pumpkin patch next year.
“If we do the pumpkin patch again next year, we will add vendors. I would like to have local crafters at the event, vendors that produce crafts, maybe eventually we will have some entertainment too,” she added.
The next event scheduled for Cowcreek Blueberry Farm will occur this coming summer. They plan to reopen for the blueberry, u-pick, season in the second week of July 2020.
The Woods’ have a high tunnel ready to go with plans of thornless blackberries to get planted in the spring 2020.
“Blackberries will be ready for u-pick in 2021,” Woods stated.
You can find more information on Cowcreek Blueberry Farm on their Facebook page at Cowcreek Blueberry Farm.