Take a Walk on the Sunny Side at Sunflower Pumpkin Patch

Word has it that the best pumpkin patch in Siskiyou County is just up Hwy 5 in Gazelle. Owned and operated by 45-year Siskiyou County farming couple Kirsten Olsen and John Tannaci, Sunflower pumpkin patch offers families the pick of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes, from pie pumpkin size to 100 lb. behemoths, grown right on their organic farm.

Pumpkins of all sizes, from pumpkin pie to behemoth, and plenty of fun family photo ops abound at Sunflower Pumpkin Patch. Photo by Pamela Newman.

Looking for Odd Pumpkins?

“John and I are bent toward the unusual pumpkins,” says Kirsten, the delightful and sunny co-owner of Cornerstone Farm, the home of Sunflower Pumpkin Patch. “People will see a pumpkin out in the field and say, ‘That is so odd.’ We like to save the seeds from these pumpkins so we can grow more unusual pumpkins.”

They will often offer the odd pumpkins free to families who find them in the extensive pumpkin fields, with the agreement they will give the pumpkin seeds back when they are done with the pumpkin.

Decades of Farming Experience Leads to a New Venture

Kirsten and John owned Hunter Orchards for 25 years. With over 2,000 fruit trees, it was the go-to U-pick fruit orchard with arguably the most popular pumpkin patch in Siskiyou County. In 2003 they bought a piece of land three miles away that was a hay farm with a house on it. “But every year we were not getting younger,” says Kirsten. John says, “Orcharding is a young person’s sport.”

So, in 2015 they sold Hunter Orchards and moved to the hay farm to start an organic farm that, in addition to wheat, including a 4,000-year-old wheat variety, grows certified organic produce which they sell at the Mount Shasta Farmers Market. Fun fact: Kirsten and John founded the Mount Shasta Farmers Market in 1999, a bustling market filled with vendors of everything from organic fruits and vegetables to locally raised meat to local soaps and facial potions, jewelry, gifts and more.

Sunflower Pumpkin Patch Is Born

About five years ago, they decided to add a pumpkin patch to the farm. “We didn’t advertise at first. We just opened the gates to see what would happen,” says Kirsten. They were surprised at the response. “People found us! And teachers found us. All it takes is a couple of teachers to spread the word.” Kirsten explains that a trip to the pumpkin patch is the perfect field trip because it’s often the first field trip of the school year. “Parents come and it’s a neat little activity for everyone to gather ’round,” she says.

Besides fields loaded with a wide variety of pumpkins from which to choose, Sunflower Pumpkin Patch has a straw bale maze made of straw from their wheat fields cut after the wheat heads have been harvested. In addition, there are lots of places around the farm to take fun and memorable family photos.

“The cool thing about growing grain,” says Kirsten, “is that after we harvest the wheat heads and then the wheat straw for the straw bales, hundreds of geese and even some sandhill cranes come to the fields to glean the seeds left after harvest. Children who come to morning field trips can see hundreds of birds landing in the field and pecking up the seeds.”

Sunflower Pumpkin Patch is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October, 10am-6pm for an authentic farm experience. Admission is free, and they charge per pound for pumpkins. “There is plenty ‘o parking,” Kirsten says. “Families are welcome to come and have fun, even if they don’t purchase pumpkins.” She asks that you please leave your pets at home.

Pumpkins of all sizes, from pumpkin pie to behemoth, and plenty of fun family photo ops abound at Sunflower Pumpkin Patch. Photo by Pamela Newman.

Find them on Facebook to keep up with the latest pumpkiny developments.

Pumpkin patch adventures were a traditional part of Halloween for Stacey and her young boys. Back then, the goal was to find the “perfect” pumpkin. Now she looks for the bumpy, odd pumpkins to proudly place on her front porch.