Annual Bates Nut Farm Visit 2015

The pumpkin patch(es) at Bates Nut Farm opened last week and we made our annual trip out to Valley Center to check out the Big Macs over the weekend. Like last year, the Big Macs were not as big or plentiful as the first year we visited but we still had a great time walking among the pumpkins, taking pictures and visiting the animals. I really can't believe how much Parker has grown since our first visit! 

Mom tips:

-Go early. The light isn't great for pictures but it gets hot and crowded in the afternoons. 

-Go early. The road into Bates is small. Traffic can get really backed up.

-Bring water. 

-Bring wipes or antibacterial stuff because there aren't any hand washing stations by the animals. 

Bates Nut Farm

15954 Woods Valley Road

Valley Center, CA 92802

[They are looking more and more alike everyday.]

[Can you spot the bees hard at work?]

[Parker was not into taking pictures and posing this year. All he wanted to do was climb on stuff. So I just let him do his thing and tried to capture since budding sense of adventure in my snaps.]

[This is what you get when you say, "Smile and then we can go look at animals."]

[This persimmon tree was perfection. I may or may not have rolled that big pumpkin to that spot to get the shot.]

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Halloween: Photos from the 7th Annual Chu Family Pumpkin Carving Contest

A few photos from the carving contest.

[Cousins]

[Parker's minimalist pumpkin]

[Light em up!]

Halloween: Pumpkin Carving Tips & Tricks

Our 7th Annual Chu Family Pumpkin Carving Contest  was held over the weekend and it was as much fun as ever. I love the trash talking, friendly competition and grubbing on good food. I came in 2nd place! I thought my design was pretty dope but I have to admit some of the thin lines of my sister Karen's winning design looked really impressive. We take our pumpkin carving seriously and I thought I would share some of my tips and tricks so you can take your carving skillz up a notch too.

Tips for Pumpkin Carving like a Pro

-Carving tools. I'm not talking about the cheap plastic tools you can find at Target. I bought this Pro Carving Tool set from Zombie Pumpkins years ago and it is amazing. The blades are a lot thinner and finer so you can make those small cuts which are essential for a winning design.

-Transfer paper. Transfer paper is a must if you are tracing a design onto your pumpkin. I like using Saral Transfer Paper in Blue. It's also available in other colors but the Graphite is a mess and gets everywhere and the other colors are too hard to see. Sulky also sells Stick and Carve which I might try out next year. None of that poking the design onto the the pumpkin stuff. That is such a waste of time and then you have to figure out which dots to connect. Mess.

-Tape. You'll need to tape your transfer paper and pattern to your pumpkin.

-Pen to trace your design. Preferably a fine tip ball point. 

-Pumpkin gutter. I hate gutting and prepping my pumpkins. A pumpkin gutter with a serrated edge is a must. I also own a pumpkin gutting tool that attaches to an electric drill which makes things go a lot faster but is a bitch  pain to clean.

-Wood carving tools. In the last two years, we've added wood carving tools to our arsenal. These are really handy when you have to scrape as part of your design.

-Stencil. Some of us use patterns. Some of us create our own patterns. Some of us just free hand our designs. The one thing everyone had in common this year was that they came prepared. You have to have a game plan in order to successfully execute your design in the time allotted (in our case it was from 12pm - 6pm). Study your design. Decide which lines you will cut and which you will scrape. This year I carved a sugar skull inspired owl. I was really attracted to the fine lines and intricate design.

-Candle. The brighter the light, the more your design will shine. I recommend something bigger than a tea light or using multiple tea lights.

Congrats Karen for winning this year. More photos from the party will be posted by next week. Stay tuned!

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San Diego: Fall Fun at Bates Nut Farm

It's still sunny and warm most days but Fall is definitely here. I love driving through light fog in morning, wearing cozy sweaters and seeing pumpkin spice lattes on the menu at Starbucks. One of the family outings that really signals Fall for us is visiting the pumpkin patch at Bates Nut Farm. Driving to Valley Center is a bit of a trek but it's totally worth it to arrive at the farm to see fields of Big Macs in all their orange glory. The Macs were a bit smaller this year, probably due to the drought, but they were still awesome to walk among. I remember when we went last year, Parker was barely sitting on his own and we kept worrying that he would fall off a pumpkin. This year, he was walking about pointing at all the "balls" in the field and fearlessly putting his hand in a goat's mouth to feed it corn kernals. He's getting so big! Truthfully, he was grumpy for most of our visit because his morning nap had been cut short but we were able to capture a few good photos. Besides the pumpkin patch, Bates also has goats and sheep you can feed, pony rides, quilt displays and a whole bunch of tractors on display that the kids can sit on. 

Mom tips:

1. Arrive early, especially if you want to take photos. The later it gets, the more people there are ruining your shot. The farm opens at 8:30 AM. The lighting is terrible later in the day. 

2. Bring plenty of wipes/antibacterial handsoap. There are no hand washing stations where the animals are. Grosssss.

3. This is a porta potty situation. 

4. Wear the right shoes. You will literally be walking through a field so wear the right shoes. 

5. Last year there were food trucks when we went. This year the only food offerings I saw were kettle corn and ice cream from Mariposa. I would suggest leaving the farm if you want to have a good lunch.

Bates Nut Farm

15954 Wood Valley Road

Valley Center, CA 92083

1-800-642-0348

[That dimple though. This kid is growing up so fast.]

Parker's Outfit

Shirt and sweater: Letter Cardigan Zara Kids

Jeans: Skinny Jeans Gap Kids

Shoes: Declan Chukka Boots Target

[Less we ever forget that he's a little boy through and through]

[80% of his photos looked like this. Poor kid. So over sitting on pumpkins.]

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