October has set upon us, Halloween is just around the corner, it’s pumpkin season.
But pumpkin farmers are a bit wary this fall. Unfortunately, those on the east coast have experienced a season of drenching storms from Hurricane Irene causing farms to throw away waterlogged pumpkins molding faster than usual. Scorching hot temperatures this past summer also sliced the Texas pumpkin production in half. For most of the nation, the hot dry summer ripened crops early and the rains in the early fall drenched them. Simply put, pumpkins will cost more this year. And because of the wet fall, they’re not going to last very long either.
All the more reason to embrace the the spirit of supporting local. We’re lucky in Washington to have local farms selling pumpkins and businesses thinking seasonally.
- Snohomish Festival of the Pumpkins: Your guide to ‘agritainment’ activities surrounding the jack-o-lantern.
- Not close to Snohomish? There’s a site that aggregates Washington State pumpkin entertainment too.
- It’s hard to miss infamous Starbucks pumpkin latte. There’s even a Facebook page devoted to the drink with a contest pitching U.S. customers against those in Canada.
- We love our beer festivals in the NW. Check out the Elysian Pumpkin Beer Festival (Oct. 8-9). The Huffington Post also assembled their pumpkin beer favorites too.
Celebrate the season and support your local farmer! Particularly how weather dependent this season has been, local farms certainly appreciate your support. Make the time to visit a farm, get in the dirt and have fun ‘picking’ your pumpkin. It will make you smile every time you walk up to the front door.
Photo courtesy of The Telegraph, it’s a 1,647 pound pumpkin found in Shoreline, WA.
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