The Dark Side about Pumpkin

 

Seeing the jack-o-lantern on your neighbor’s porch greeting you with a grin is one of the best parts about Halloween. But the same pumpkin that brought a smile to your face may have brought another pumpkin farmer misery, because unlike carving them, selling pumpkins is no laughing matter.  

“Just by survival of the fittest, you’ve got fewer of us left,” said Brian Reeves, owner of Reeves Pumpkin Farm. “More and more farmers have gone out of business. Many of them who aren’t the sharpest business people.”

Reeves also said there is an increase in pumpkin supply this year due to adequate moisture and temperature. He said when there is a bigger crop, it’s usually better to sell pumpkins at the level they’re supposed to be sold than to sell them cheap and find out in the end there is no margin on any of them.

Reeves said New York State ranks number two in the country of pumpkin production, and he has both regular pumpkin customers and customers who are particularly budget-minded. He often has to offer these floaters a deal if he wants their business.

“The free lancers, the wildcatters. There’re some derogatory names you could use, but they just cherry pick. They never have a steady supply. They never have loyalties,” said the farm owner.

Reeves also said that a huge portion of a pumpkin’s value comes from its stem. Without the stem, the retail price of a pumpkin can drop drastically from 10 dollars to one.