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Pumpkins at Krupski Farms in Peconic. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

Chances are your pool is still open and you’re sleeping with the air conditioning on, but we spotted the first orange harbingers of fall at Krupski’s Farm in Peconic on Tuesday.

Labor Day weekend is when local farm stands generally start displaying pumpkins and preparing for fall agritainment activities. But since Labor Day falls so late this year (September 7), you’ll be seeing autumn gourds several days before the holiday.

The butternut squash is out, the corn mazes are being prepped and soon legions of Up-Island and New York City dwelling pumpkin-pickers will descend on the North Fork.

“They’ve been ready for a while now,” Brandon Lonk, a farmer at Krupski’s Farm said of the pumpkins. “We definitely like to have them out by Labor Day. I was picking these [butternut squash] two weeks ago.”

“By Labor Day, it will be completely orange,” he added.

Pumpkins grown for Krupski's Farm. (Credit: Vera Chinese)
Pumpkins grown for Krupski’s Farm. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

Lonk noted that the Krupski’s had swapped land with a farmer located on the opposite of Main Road to practice crop rotation this season. We spotted rows and rows of Krupski pumpkins growing on the parcel, many ready to be picked.

While some welcome sweatshirt and spiced latte weather, we can’t help but feel sad that a spectacular North Fork summer is coming to an end. Temperatures are expected to be in the 80s this weekend so try not to let the pumpkins harsh your summer buzz.

But the end of summer is certainly not all bad news.

For fans of apple picking, Harbes Orchard on Sound Avenue in Riverhead opens for the season on Saturday, Sept. 5.

And Palmer Vineyards is hosting a harvest festival on Sunday, September 13 from noon to 6 p.m. There will be $8 glasses of wine, a U2 cover band and food trucks. General admission is $20, wine club and industry members are $15.

We will post more information on pumpkin picking and fall festivals as it becomes available.

Krupski's Pumpkin Farm in Peconic. (Credit: Vera Chinese)
Krupski’s Pumpkin Farm in Peconic. (Credit: Vera Chinese)
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