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Community Corner

Great Gourds! How Much Will You Pay for a Pumpkin?

Many consumers come up with the 'jack' for jack-o-lanterns, despite 40% higher prices.

How much will you pay for a pumpkin this year?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports pumpkin prices are up, and in early October were averaging about $4.51 per average-size pumpkin (40 percent above 2010’s average).

“My pumpkin-growing friends and acquaintances have reported that the prices are a little higher this year over last,” says Julie Glover, vice president of the Michigan Gourd Society, an organization that includes members throughout the state who are part of the world of gourds, from growing them to turning them into works of art. 

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Glover has been cultivating gourds (that includes pumpkins) for about 10 years. This year, one acre at her home turned out some 200 fruits (yes, a pumpkin is a fruit, not a vegetable). “The prices go up due to a variety of reasons," says Glover, "from just a poor economy to the weather causing early rot for many of the crops, especially when the pumpkins are already ripe in August and September and people don’t want them until October."

According to the USDA, Michigan is one of the top six pumpkin-growing states, harvesting about 95.2 million pounds of the fruit in 2010.

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Some residents picked up their pumpkin over the weekend at the and Halloween Parade in Birmingham, or at in Bloomfield Township.

"I purchased my pumpkins at this year (early this season) — buy one get one free," says Susan Keels of Troy. "Here's a tip: If you polish your pumpkins with Armor All, they last longer. The Armor All protects the skin and gives pumpkins a glossy coating."

Cindy Schiano of Franklin likes to purchase her pumpkins at the Franklin Farmer’s Market.

 “In general, pumpkins do seem to be getting more expensive,” she says. But higher prices haven’t swayed Schiano’s pumpkin-buying habits. “I love them; I use them for decorations for parties, in my window boxes outside, all around the house,” she says.

Schiano recently decorated several with candy corn for a couple of charity events – her Questers group (antiques aficionados) had a gathering to raise money for Franklin’s Kreger Farm House, and her Franklin Garden Club enjoyed a recent luncheon. “I decorated the tables," says Schiano, “with candy corn-enhanced pumpkins.”

Pumpkin lovers such as Jessica Kwartowitz and her kids haven’t purchased theirs yet, but will soon.

“We usually buy them closer to Halloween because of the evil Huntington Woods ‘squirrel posse’ that destroys pumpkins,” says Kwartowitz, whose children are 11, 8 and 5. The Huntington Woods family usually purchases pumpkins at one of the roadside pumpkin outlets on Woodward Avenue near Royal Oak.  

“The selection process is pretty intense,” says Kwartowitz, “and we’re pretty particular.”

Although the process takes longer than the busy mom would like, she says the extra time taken is worth it in the long run. “We usually go about as big as a basketball, or slightly larger. And they need to be close to perfect … no flat sides or major scarring.”

As for prices, Kwartowitz says the big orange orbs always seem to cost more than what she wants to pay. “I have to say, I'm always shocked at checkout.”

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