Finally, some good economic news. While the costs of Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat candy have inched up from a year ago, it won`t cost you any more to pick your own pumpkin.
”It`s true that wholesalers might have to charge more because of fuel costs going up, meaning you may pay a few pennies more than last year for store-bought pumpkins,” explains Daryl Srail, owner of Windy Acres in Geneva. ”So, picking your own is a real pumpkin bargain.”
Of course, the economic rule about supply and demand applies to pumpkins too. And this season, pumpkin growers are rolling in orange. ”We have thousands and tens of thousands,” Srail says. ”We`re surrounded by pumpkins.”
Other growers agree. ”It`s definitely a thumbs up year; our second very good year in a row,” says David Bengtson, owner of Bengtson Farm in Lockport. Consumers can thank Mother Nature for the bumper supply. Too much rain will cause this orange member of the squash family to rot from the inside out. And muddy fields also make it difficult for the tractors to navigate through them. A wet summer of deluge after deluge created a pumpkin shortage in 1987. The drought of 1988 was just as devastating for many pumpkin growers. But this season`s cool summer temperatures with just the right amount of rainfall created the perfect conditions for pumpkin proliferation.
Nonetheless, when marching into the pumpkin patch, leave your high-heeled shoes at home. ”We don`t want ladies falling on our pumpkins,” Bengtson says. ”Wear tennis shoes or boots, and obviously be prepared for muddy fields if it rained the night before.” Garden shears and gloves are a good idea too. We asked Srail and Wayne Goede, owner of Planeview Pumpkin Farm in South Barrington, for some tips on picking your pumpkin. Their suggestions:
– Look for a pumpkin with a deep orange color and just a hint of green.
– Check to insure the stem is sturdy. If the stem is soft or rotting, it may mean your pumpkin is soft or rotting too.
– Ten to 15-pound aspiring jack-o`-lanterns are just right for carving.
– Always inspect your pumpkin before buying it. Check for even the smallest of holes or gashes; they will get larger and begin to rot.
Not everybody uses pumpkins for jack-o`-lanterns. With the proper TLC, the pumpkin you pick might just survive long enough to be made into pumpkin pie to go along with your Thanksgiving Day turkey. Just keep the pumpkin in a cool area.
At Coulter`s Farm Produce in Westville, Ind., you can purchase a 60-pound pumpkin. They have about 500 of these monsters available for $10 apiece. ”The problem isn`t so much getting it into the trunk of your car as it is getting it out,” says owner John Coulter. ”I don`t know exactly what folks do with these things-maybe make 40 pumpkin pies.”
Actually, you can make pies for the entire community with these huge vegetables. But the bigger the pumpkin, the stringier it tends to be. ”Even making pumpkin pies with a 25-pound pumpkin takes a lot of milling it down,” Srail explains. But 4- to 6-pounders are just right for fixin` pumpkin pie.
At Bengtson Farms, there are several 300-pound behemoths on display. They`re taken from the pumpkin patch to the display area on a fork lift.
”I doubt any homeowner would want of those big guys,” says Bengtson, though ”we do sell them to restaurants.” But unless they have a fork lift to transport the pumpkins, Bengtson recommends that only restaurants located downhill apply.
PLACES FOR PICKIN`
Here are some of the places in the Chicago area where you can pick your own pumpkin. There`s no charge-other than the cost of the produce-unless specified.
Geneva: Windy Acres, Fabyan Parkway just west of Randall Road;
708-232-6429. Cost: 25-29 cents a pound. Open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily through Oct. 31. Other attractions: wagon rides to the field, a petting zoo and an animated spook house starring a 16-foot high Frankenstein`s monster.
Lockport: Bengtson Farm, 13341 W. 151st Street; 708-301-3276. Cost: 20 cents a pound. Open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily starting Saturday through Oct. 31. Admission charge of $2.50 adults, $1.50 children 4 to 10 includes hayrides and petting zoo daily. Additional charge of $1.50 ($1 for ages 4-10) for haunted barn; open Mondays through Fridays noon-8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
South Barrington: Planeview Pumpkin Farm, 30 N. Barrington Rd. (3 miles south of Dundee Road); 708-381-4655 or 708-381-7726. Cost: 35 cents a pound. Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Oct. 31. Other attractions: pony rides Fridays through Sundays, petting zoo Thursdays through Sundays, and daily horse-drawn wagon rides and appearances by the Good Witch in the haunted house. Hot dogs, popcorn and apple cider are available.
Streamwood: The Farm, 700 W. Irving Park Rd. (just west of Bartlett Road); 708-213-3276. This isn`t a traditional pick-your-own spot. Pumpkins are trucked from a real farm to this farm-setting, operated by the Streamwood Park District. However, you do walk through a pumpkin patch and choose your own. Cost: 25 cents a pound. Open noon-8 p.m. Sundays through Fridays and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 31. Other attractions: taffy apples and apple cider for sale.
Westville, Ind.: Coulter`s Farm Produce, 5433 S. U.S. Highway 421 at U.S. Highway 6; 219-785-2406. Cost: $1 to $10 per pumpkin. Open 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sundays through Halloween.
