Visitors flock to Joe’s Farm in Killeagh for hands-on pumpkin picking this October

A family-run farm in Killeagh, East Cork, is drawing visitors from across Ireland for its annual pumpkin picking, combining a fun day out with a practical lesson in how food is grown and harvested.

Joe’s Farm, home of Joe’s Farm Crisps, invites ticket-holders to stroll the fields, pick their own pumpkins and seasonal vegetables, and learn more about life on a working vegetable farm. The experience is designed to encourage conversations about local, in-season produce and where it comes from.

Pumpkin picking runs on Saturday 04 October and Sunday 05 October, then every weekend to the end of the month, 10:00 to 15:00. Alongside the public sessions, the farm also hosts guided school tours. Each child receives an empty potato sack and gets to harvest vegetables straight from the soil, while learning how the farm turns potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and beetroot into crisps.

Joe’s Farm is run by Joe Burns and his wife Sandra, with their three children. The family diversified in 2014, creating a gluten-free crisp range seasoned with Achill Island Sea Salt. For the past eight years they have welcomed visitors to their pumpkin fields, with demand soaring in recent seasons.

Sandra, Co-owner, Joe’s Farm:

“We are seeing people travelling miles and miles to come to pick pumpkins at our farm. We recently had a bride come home from America to get married and we were delighted that she chose Joe’s Farm to source pumpkins for her wedding for decoration. We are thrilled to see people coming, taking photos and learning about farming and local produce, what’s in season and where it comes from. We have many autumnal photo opportunities around the farm where people can take photographs, we have a carriage, a love heart, a spider.

I’m always delighted to hear stories about the experience, seeing videos of children washing and preparing the vegetables at home afterwards and most importantly eating what they have picked. I love hearing from parents who call or write to us afterwards to say their kids wouldn’t eat vegetables until they came to Joe’s Farm and they picked them themselves. It’s rewarding to see.

It’s a busy time for us, although it’s always busy on a farm!”

On site, visitors can also call to the farm shop and coffee station, with freshly cooked chips made from the farm’s own potatoes.

For tickets and information, visit joesfarmcrisps.ie. For school bookings, email sandra@joesfarmcrisps.ie.