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A Halloween Tradition

Pumpkins are a type of squash and are classified as fruit. The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over 5 feet in diameter, weighed more than 250 pounds, and required 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, and 12 dozen eggs to make. This colossal pie took six hours to bake. Pumpkins can also be used to make muffins, bread, ice cream, cookies, tea, soup, and butter. Pumpkin seeds can even be roasted for a snack. Pumpkins are good for you - they contain potassium and Vitamin A, and are low in calories, fat, and sodium, but high in fiber. Pumpkins are 90% water, and are even sometimes used as feed for animals. While orange is the most common pumpkin color, pumpkins can also be white, yellow, blue or red!

Pumpkins are grown all over the world, but the pumpkin capital is Morton, Illinois, the home of Nestle Food Company's pumpkin processing plant. Illinois is also the top-producing pumpkin state. This year's largest pumpkin came from New Hampshire, and tipped the scales at 1,337.6 pounds, a new world record. There are dozens of pumpkin varieties, but the jumbo pumpkins come from the Atlantic Giant variety. The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.

Pumpkins are frost-sensitive plants and must be planted once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has thoroughly warmed. It takes 110 days, or approximately four months for a pumpkin vine to produce mature pumpkins. Pumpkin seeds should be planted four feet apart with six feet of space between rows to allow plenty of room for growth. Clay loam soil is best for growing pumpkins. Two to three pumpkins grow on a single vine, and vines may reach 15-20 feet in length.

Pumpkins can be harvested when they are a deep, solid color, which is orange for most varieties, and when the rind is hard. Late September or early October before heavy frosts is the prime time for pumpkin harvesting, and just in time for fall holidays. Pumpkins should be cut from the vines carefully with pruning shears or a sharp knife, leaving 3-4" of the stem attached. Snapping stems from the vines may result in broken or missing "handles", and pumpkins without stems usually don't keep well.

Pumpkins are a profitable niche market for many farmers. Direct marketing offers these pumpkin growers better profit than they would receive through wholesale markets. These farms often offer more than pumpkin picking. They may also feature hayrides, haunted corn mazes, and petting zoos. "Entertainment farming" is becoming quite popular and you may have visited such a place yourself. If you haven't picked out a pumpkin yet, you better get a move on it. Halloween is almost here! Please send email to stacey@agselect.com.