What to bring to the pumpkin patch, the orchard and the Christmas tree farm

Fall and early winter bring a run of farm outings: the pumpkin patch in October, apple picking, a hayride, then the Christmas tree farm in December. Each one is the same afternoon in a different field, and each time something gets left at home. The wipes are in the other car. Nobody brought water. The only blanket is the good one from the couch.

Pack a kit once, keep it together, and every outing through December starts from the same bag.

The kit that stays packed

Keep these together in one tote or bin in the trunk or by the door:

A waterproof blanket for sitting on damp ground, a hay bale or a picnic table.
Hand wipes for sticky faces and fingers.
Hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.
A water bottle for each child, filled the morning you go.
Paper towels and a trash bag for the drive home.
A spare pair of socks and shoes per child, in a plastic bag.
Some cash, since smaller farms and stands don’t always take cards.

Add snacks and the day’s layers on the way out the door.

Dress for mud

Fields are muddy after rain, and paths at the farm are often grass, dirt or hay. Closed-toe shoes or rain boots are the safe choice. Long pants protect legs from scratchy hay and, in December, from tree needles. Dress in layers, since an open field can feel much warmer in the afternoon sun, and much colder in the wind, than the parking lot.

Clean hands, especially around animals

Many pumpkin patches have a petting zoo or animals along the hayride. The CDC’s advice for animal exhibits is short and worth following:

Wash hands right after touching animals or anything in the areas where they live, roam or eat, and when leaving animal areas, even if you didn’t touch the animals or wore gloves.
Use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol when soap and water aren’t available, then wash with soap and running water as soon as you can.
Don’t eat or drink around animals, and keep food and drinks out of animal areas.
Leave strollers, cups and toys outside the exhibit, and keep fingers and pacifiers out of children’s mouths while you’re there.

The CDC notes that children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to get sick from germs animals carry. Wipes are for the cider donut on the way back to the car. They don’t replace the hand-washing station.

Ask about the cider

Orchards and farm stands often sell fresh cider, and some of it isn’t pasteurized. Packaged juice that hasn’t been pasteurized or otherwise treated has to carry a warning label, but the FDA does not require a label on juice or cider sold by the glass, for example at orchards, farmers markets and roadside stands. The FDA says children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk from untreated juice, so ask whether it’s pasteurized before you pour cups for the kids, and choose pasteurized cider for them if it isn’t.

Carry pumpkins from the bottom

University of Illinois Extension says to never carry a pumpkin by the stem, and to choose one with a stem at least 1 to 2 inches long. NC State Extension adds that carrying it by the stem can bruise or cut the pumpkin and let disease in. Lift from underneath with both hands, or let the wagon do it.

Pick pumpkins without holes, cuts or soft spots, which decay first.

At the orchard, pick what you’ll use

A bag of apples fills up in ten minutes and takes a lot longer to eat. Decide before you go how many apples you need for the week, plus one batch of something baked, and stop there. Store them in the fridge at home.

The tree farm adds three things

A tape measure. Measure the ceiling height and the opening of your tree stand before you leave, then measure trees at the farm. Remember the stand adds a few inches at the bottom.
Work gloves. Trunks are sticky with sap and branches are prickly.
An old blanket or tarp and straps for the roof or the trunk.

Call ahead or check the farm’s website to see whether it provides saws, carts and netting. Many do.

Restock before you put it away

When you get home, refill the wipes, wash the bottles, shake out the blanket and throw out the trash. Put the kit back where it lives. The next outing starts from a full bag.

What to actually buy

The wagon. An Amazon Basics collapsible utility wagon, which the maker says carries up to 265 pounds. It hauls pumpkins, blankets and bags across a field and folds up between outings. It’s a utility wagon for gear, so keep the kids walking beside it rather than riding on top of the pumpkins.

The blanket. An extra-large waterproof picnic blanket, 60 by 80 inches, with a padded middle layer and a waterproof backing that keeps damp grass from soaking through.

The wipes. Ten packs of Wet Ones hand wipes, 20 wipes each, so there’s one in the kit, one in each car and one in your bag.

The water bottles. A 12-ounce Thermos Funtainer bottle with a straw for each child, stainless steel with a push-button lid, which Thermos says keeps drinks cold for up to 12 hours. It’s for cold drinks only.

Who this is not for

If your farm lends out wagons and you go once a year, skip the wagon.
If the outing is a quick stop at a farm stand, a pack of wipes in the glove box is enough.
If you’re cutting your own tree for the first time, ask the farm how cutting and netting work before you buy any gear.

Start on any Monday

This week, find a tote, pack the blanket, wipes, sanitizer, paper towels and spare socks, and put it in the trunk.

Before each outing, fill the water bottles and add snacks. After each one, restock it the same evening.