Category: All Things Pumpkin

Tim Carrigan wrote yesterday, in the South Bend Tribune, words that warmed the cockles of my heart (whatever they are), and I thought I’d share them with you.

“The nice thing about having fresh pumpkins is you know it won’t be long before it will be ready to be a pie, or some roasted pumpkin seeds. Pumpkins are versatile; besides the obvious pies and dessert items they can make, you also can make some fantastic soups and bisques.”

Of course, I’d add to that some wonderful breads, muffins, cookies, curries, etc. All that will be showcased in the cookbook I’m working on, A Passion for Pumpkins.

Then, he went on to say, “So next time you see a pumpkin, think beyond what you can carve with it, and make something your family can eat.”

Mmmm. Like I said, a man after my own heart.

For the full article, go to www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060911/Lives07/609110430/-1/LIVES/CAT=Lives07.

On Oct. 29, the Bristol Public Library in Bristol, Conn., will host the first ever Pumpkin Festival, show casing grinning, menacing and other creatively carved pumpkins.

“The Pumpkin Festival is something we hope will become an annual event,” Jessica Dumont, library board member, told park officials earlier this month.

Pumpkins decorated and carved by locals will be judged and prizes will be won. “It’s going to be something different,” said Francine Petosa, Library Director. The event should fit in with other community events planned for the Fall, including the Mum Festival, Arts in the Park and the Downtown Auto Show. “We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

For more information, visit www.bristolpumpkinfestival.com/home.

In 2003, the city of Keene, N.H., made the Guinness Book of World Records for the most carved and lit jack-o-lanterns gathered in one place – 28,592.

This year, they have a challenger – Bennington, Vt.

Dressed from head to toe in orange, Bob Stannard tossed an orange gauntlet down of the floor of Keene City Hall on Aug. 2, 2006.

Sporting an orange baseball cap with “Pumpkin King” emblazoned across it, Michael E.J. Blastos, mayor of Keene, told Stannard that, “It takes a great deal of courage to wear a suit like that.”

Then the mayor provided Stannard, executive director of Better Bennington Corp., with a CD from the 2003 pumpkin festival on how to “challenge Keene, what can be learned from Keene, and how to loose gracefully to Keene.”

The pseudo event was staged in an effort to publicize both town’s downtown areas.

“Now all we need is 30,000 pumpkins and about 1,000 volunteers,” said Stannard. “This is going to be fun.”

For more information:

Vt.-N.H. pumpkin challenge made official
www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/NEWS/608030358/1003/NEWS02

Keene Pumpkin Festival
www.pumpkinfestival.com

1st Annual Bennington Great Pumpkin Challenge
www.bennington.com/bbc

Did you know that pumpkins can cross pollinate with other winter squashes?

According to Mark Keaton, staff chair for Baxter County at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, “cross-pollination between squashes and pumpkins will not produce off-flavored or off-colored fruit in this year’s garden, but if the seed is saved for planting next year, the result will be a combination.”

For more information, visit www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060726/COLUMNISTS1601/607260306/1002/NEWS17.

Do you live in a warm, dry climate? Then you might want to keep an eye out for powdery mildew if you’re growing your own pumpkins.

Powdery mildew is most commonly found on the upper sides of leaves and appears as white patches and spots.

According to Dona M. Crawford, a master gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, “powdery mildews are severe in warm, dry climates [because] the fungus does not need the presence of water on the leave surface for infection to occur.”

She recommends to readers of the Times Herald-Record that growing powdery mildew resistant varieties of pumpkin was the best way to avoid this problem.

You can read the rest of her advice at www.recordonline.com/archive/2006/07/28/news_community-gardencol28-07-29.html.

When Ted “Buck” Bradford found an antique, horse-drawn planter on his property, his wife dismissed it as “a pile of rust.”

But, when he decided to plant pumpkins on an acre of their land, he found the planter to be quite useful.

Pumpkin seeds should be planted eight feet apart and the planter’s large wheels covered eight feet each cycle. So with a little ingenuity, he rigged the device to help him plant the seeds and what would have been an all-day task by hand took only two hours!

For more on this story, visit www.stltoday.com/stltoday/neighborhoods/stories.nsf/jeffersoncounty/news/story/8E49F233225DB152862571AF00505EDB?OpenDocument&highlight=2%2C%22rust%22+AND+%22pile%22.

It’s almost that time of year, when communities start holding their harvest festivals, which so often feature pumpkins. Here are a few I’ve learned about.

What: MAiZE at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park
Where: 15789 Temple Hall Lane
When: Sept. 8 – Oct. 29
Highlights:

• 11-acre cornfield maze
• hay rides
• pick-your-own pumpkins

For More Info: www.nvrpa.org/templehall.html

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What: Circleville Pumpkin Show
Where: 159 East Franklin Street, Circleville, Ohio
When: Oct. 18 – 21
Highlights:

• Enormous pumpkins
• Really big pumpkin pie
• Contests: pumpkin toss, pie eating, etc.

For More Info: Pumpkinshow.com

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What: World Pumpkin Chucking Championships
Where: Long Neck, Delaware
When: Nov. 3-5
Highlights:

• Machines designed to chuck pumpkins long distances
• Pumpkin pie contest

For More Info: www.punkinchunkin.com

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What: Ukiah Country PumpkinFest
Where: Ukiah, Calif.
When: October
Highlights:

• Food
• Arts and crafts
• “Scarecrow City”
• Live music
• Pie eating contest
• Pumpkin weigh off

For More Info: www.cityofukiah.com/lifestyle/events.html

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What: Pumpkins in the Park
Where: Cumberland Bowl Park, Route 58, Jonesville, VA
When: Oct. 27
Highlights:

• Face painting
• Pumpkin painting
• Hay rides
• Trick-or-Treating

For More Info: www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=27932

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What: Pumpkin Festival
Where: Marker-Miller Orchards Farm Market
When: Oct. 28
Highlights:

• Wagon Rides
• Barrel Train Rides
• Pick-Your-Own Pumpkins

For More Info: www.markermillerorchards.com