A fun idea for a family outing is a trip to Johnson’s Corner Farm in Medford, New Jersey. Human Diaries joined some family members on a Saturday in mid-October for some fall time fun! It was a cool October day, so we made sure to wear layers. One thing about this time of year is how beautiful it is outside. The clouds take on so many shapes, and the tree leaves are an amazing range of colors.
There is quite a bit of parking space available, it’s free, and it’s right next to all of the activities. Colorful signs are all around, letting you know where everything is. There are also some of those big wooden photo stand-ins with holes where you can put your face and have your picture taken. One of them, for example, was of a farmer and a woman that reminds me of Grant Wood’s painting, American Gothic. Another had a place to put your face in the middle of a sunflower.
First, we all went on a hayride together. One of my brothers-in-law bought and shared apple cider doughnuts while we waited in line for our turn. They were sweet, delicious, and still warm. It made the wait much more pleasant! We got to the front of the line a little later, and were ready for the next part of our adventure. The hayride wagons are big enough that all 20 of us were able to sit in one together, and there were even a few more people in it with us.
As we rode along, we could see the fields – they had corn, broccoli, sweet potatoes, sunflowers, apples, and pumpkins, among other things. Some others, like the blueberries, weren’t in season. The option to pick your own is one of the attractions of Johnson’s Corner Farm. Our main purpose that day was to go on the hayride to pick our own pumpkins.
There was an option to stop to pick apples on the way, which we decided to do. The trees are very short, which made the apples much easier to reach. We filled our first bag, and then most of another. We picked several different types of apples – fuji, granny smith, pink lady, cameo, gold rush, empire, and maybe some others. Then we took the next hayride wagon to the pumpkin patch, where we caught up with the rest of our group. We looked around and found the pumpkins that we wanted. They also had pick-your-own gourds in many colors, shapes, and sizes.
We took another wagon back to the main area, and paid for our apples and pumpkins after they were weighed. We later found out that we were there on the last day for apple picking, but we were there before popcorn picking started (around October 24, 2015). We got some soft serve ice cream, and walked around the Farm Market. One staff member tried some hot cocoa, and we bought a few other things. They have hot prepared foods, fresh produce, and different gifts such as plush animals.
Some other activities they had there included the animal farm, corn maze, the Discovery Barnyard, feeding the animals, obstacle course, wacky bridge, and go-carts. In December, they’re holding a marshmallow roasting and s’mores making event, and some Christmas activities such as a light show hayride. They even host parties. It seems like there’s always something to do at Johnson’s Corner Farm!
