How an East Cork farm saved Halloween

Added on 01 November 2020

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US- "It's an excellent enterprise and for those of us who still haven't managed to grow-our-own this year, Joe's Farm offers the next best thing"

Joe's Farm

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"You could be in Upstate New York," says I, looking across a rolling valley of East Cork farmland blotted with orange pumpkin bursts. "Well that's almost where the idea came from!" replies Joe Burns, who along with his wife Sandra run their vegetable farm and crisp factory just beyond the village of Killeagh.

It was on a family visit to his sister living in Boston some autumns ago when Joe and Sandra were invited to go on the very New England pursuit of Fall apple-picking. "We couldn't believe it was so popular over there," he adds, "so we thought, wouldn't it be great if we could do something like that on our own farm?".

The rest is horticulture history. Three seasons into their vegetable picking venture, Joe's Farm is a more popular destination than ever and can arguably take credit for introducing the pumpkin patch to Cork.

It's been a circuitous route to Killeagh for the celebrated squash. The carving of pumpkins dates back to 1800s in the US when Irish immigrants imported the tradition of carving turnips during the feast of Samhain.

Pumpkins, which had already been popular harvest fare in the States, soon became synonymous with decorative jack-o'-lanterns used to decorate homes from Halloween through to Thanksgiving. Fast forward to today, and pumpkins have become a trending staple in Ireland starring in everything from family Instagram photoshoots to Starbucks' spiced lattes.

Three seasons into their vegetable picking venture, Joe's Farm is a more popular destination than ever

According to Joe himself, pumpkins can be tricky to grow in Ireland - with an abundance of heat necessary to balloon them to a nicely plump state. But that hasn't curtailed his crop of 1000 this year, all growing for the Halloween market. "I'd say 90% of them are used for ornamental usage," he explains, "but there are those who'll buy them for soups".

The patch is set amid a FarmVille-like trail where visitors can wander a corn maze, pick rainbow carrots and bag their own spuds fresh from the tractor and grader. "Are they roosters?" I ask Joe, wedging a bit of soil from a potato's skin. "No they're violettas!" he replies, referring to the popular new variety. Purple mash on the menu tonight, so.

Down on the patch, a couple of (socially distanced) families are eyeing up the perfect pumpkin, offering some welcome seasonal excitement to a 2020 that's offered more tricks than treats.

"The excitement continues as much back home with the carving as it does here," Sandra tells me, as I arrived back at the yard. It's here that I stock up on produce at the farm's gorgeous honesty shop, brimming with purple cauliflowers, romanesco broccoli, curly kale, apples and bags of Joe's Crisps themselves. It's an excellent enterprise and for those of us who still haven't managed to grow-our-own this year, Joe's Farm offers the next best thing. For more than one or two kids, it probably just saved Halloween, too.

Talk to Joe

Joe's Farm

Joe's Farm lies 3km from Killeagh village and makes a charming spot to stock up on fresh, seasonal veggies. As a food store, it is able to stay open under current lockdown regulations but note that pumpkin picking is fully-booked up at the time of print. The shop is available to visit all year round with Joe and Sandra often on site-to offer friendly advice. For more updates on opening hours, see their Facebook or Instagram pages. @joes_farm_crisps

Virtual Halloween

There are a range of virtual events taking across the country for Halloween with the Bram Stoker Festival releasing daily kid-friendly videos on their website, bramstokerfestival.com. Derry, which traditionally hosts one of Ireland's largest Halloween parades, has a full digital programme, from Samhain sessions for music lovers to online workshops in everything from broomstick making to cocktail shaking! derryhalloween.com

Halloween Menu

Afternoon Tea with a Halloween twist at the Metropole Hotel. Picture: Brian Lougheed

If you've had your fill of bobbing apples, keep an eye out for restaurants offering seasonal menus for takeaway this weekend. The Metropole in Cork is offering a Halloween twist on its afternoon teas which comes complete with a Spotify playlist (25; themetropolehotel.ie) while Arbutus Bread who stock dozens of cafés and restaurants across Cork are currently baking a pumpkin loaf available at their Douglas or Midleton farmers' markets.

Source and Photo Courtesy of Irish Examiner

Source: Irsih Examiner