The Playground

I was intrigued by the monster-pumpkin growers. Lords of the Gourd: The Pursuit of Excellence - Yes that's the actual name; I didn't make it up - aired on WQED last night. There were pumpkins waist high and weighing over 1200 pounds. The growers wrap them in quilts and rub their skin with oil to prevent splitting.

The pumpkin growers meet annually in Cooperstown, NY to compete for weight. Skin splits and certain defects such as a "pumpkin pimple" disqualify the pumpkin.

During interviews, the growers discussed the pain of having to say goodbye. Disease, varmints, and "patch sabotage" are major factors in the death of Great Pumpkins. One grower said, "losing a pumpkin is like losing a child." (May I just say, WTF?) And in reference to a gigantic oozing gourd, "it was like it was crying tears around its stem."

After his potentially prized pumpkin disintegrated from the inside out, one grower had to hack it into pieces to see what went wrong on the inside. Afterward he lamented the loss, except that the pumpkin would pass on to a higher purpose, " Five hundred pounds worth of compost. Compost! Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it."

An elderly grower who had yet to bring home a prize said, "I'd like to have a 1000-pound pumpkin before I cash in my chips." I'm sure his family is comforted that he has his priorities straight and final affairs in order. I mean, who wouldn't want to be burdened with a square acre of pumpkin patch?

Finally, those viewers with fuzzier fetishes were reassured, "No woodchucks or mice were harmed in the filming of this program."

Seriously, how could this not get you in the Harvest mood?

Below are more links to the Gloriously Orange Gourd:

Pumpkin 2007 Winners

Pumpkin Festivals; Aglow, Aloft and Afloat

Pumpkin Nook