EasyJet Holidays

A Swiss Pumpkin Patch

October 21st, 2010
Amie from Ciao Bambino

Given that we’re announcing our Italy vacation contest winner tomorrow on the blog, I’m posting Photo Friday a bit early.

Although we love living in Europe, we are homesick this month for Halloween festivities and traditions. I went in search of pumpkin patches around where we live outside of Lausanne and found this …

Local growers put a wonderful variety of pumpkins out on the street or in front of their farms in the countryside.  Here’s the fascinating bit—it’s self-service! Not a soul is there to monitor or manage the pumpkin sales.

All the pumpkins are labeled with a price and you simply calculate what you’ve loaded in your car on the honor system.

I’m smiling just picturing this system in place back home in Northern California. The pumpkins would not be there in the morning and the cash box would be … I fear … empty. Sigh, am I just a cynic?

If you’re on the road this month, check out Dana’s great nationwide (US) round-up of  pumpkin patches and farms with activities for all ages and her 2010 Halloween events for kids list.  And, if you’re in and around London be sure and read Anna’s list of things to do around Halloween in London with kids.

Happy almost Halloween!

For more Photo Friday posts, head over to our friends at Delicious Baby.

Relevant Links:

Best San Francisco Bay Area pumpkin patches

Fall family travel, favorite leafpeeping experiences

10 great fall family getaways

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8 Comments to A Swiss Pumpkin Patch:

  1. Jocelyn wrote: October 21st, 2010 at 11:35 pm

    Hi Amie,

    Loved the pumpkin photo. I visited Lausanne back in 2002 so I just had to submit a comment. I am always impressed by their “honor system”. Living in L.A., I would have to sadly agree with you about the missing money box and pumpkins in the a.m. Keep writing great content!

    Jocelyn

  2. Kerry wrote: October 22nd, 2010 at 5:07 am

    lovely shot of the pumpkins. never had thought of them in connection with Switzerland, somehow. are there particular Swiss dishes made with pumpkins?

  3. Bridget Smith wrote: October 22nd, 2010 at 10:35 am

    These are such beautiful pumpkins. The colors and shapes are so interesting. Are you going to post the final carved product?

  4. Caitlin @ Roaming Tales wrote: October 22nd, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    Yes, I think you’re being a cynic! Self-service farm stalls are actually not uncommon in California. I’ve seen it in operation at Swanton Berry Farm on Highway 1 south of San Francisco – even for their jars of jam, which are not cheap. I’ve also seen it in operation at a fruit & veg stall in the Anderson Valley, as we were driving to Mendocino on the coast north of SF. And I’ve only lived here a year or so.

  5. Anna wrote: October 22nd, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    Great post, I’m glad you found your pumpkins – hope they made you feel a bit less homesick! Great that it’s an honesty system, we saw that quite a lot in Italian agriturismos for wine etc.

  6. Abi wrote: October 23rd, 2010 at 1:03 am

    A lovely pumpkin story…They have honesty boxes like this in Spain as well. I’m afraid I share some of your cynicism…!

  7. Dominique wrote: October 24th, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    The last time I remember seeing one of these honesty box operations was at a small shop on a northern Michigan herb farm about 10 years ago.

    I do like the odd-colored pumpkins. I got one in classic orange, and another in a mottled orange-and-white. Love the different colors and shapes of the squash, too.

  8. wandering educators wrote: October 24th, 2010 at 7:27 pm

    i LOVE these photos – and yes, make a pumpkin gratin! i remember my SIL made one that was so incredibly delicious – she’d gotten the recipe when she lived in france.

    here in mid-michigan, there are self-service boxes all over the place. :)

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