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NJ Farmers Say Plenty Of Pumpkins Available

pumpkins

If you want to get an early start on pumpkin purchases for Halloween, New Jersey farmers say you'll have a lot to choose from.

Jim Giamarese grows about 25 acres of pumpkins on his farm in East Brunswick. He says a lot of rain this summer caused bigger than usual pumpkins.

"Unfortunately, some people might not like that because it's going to be a little more expensive. They tend to load up with the moisture. No two pumpkins are the same. You could have a basketball size pumpkin. One would be 10 pounds and the one right next to it 13 and only because it absorbed more water. For the consumer, they need to be aware of the weight, and we charge by the weight."

New Jersey Farm Bureau President Ryke Suydam says the pumpkins that are carved into Halloween jack o’lanterns aren’t the only kind you can get.

“There’s a couple different varieties that look like a fairy tale pumpkin. One that maybe Cinderella rode in that turned into a carriage. It’s a little flatter and wider. There are cheese pumpkins, a very flat pumpkin, those are the ones that are widely used in baking pies. There are some white pumpkins out there.”

Suydam says about 300 farmers in the state grow pumpkins.

"We call the pumpkin season the Black Friday in agriculture. This is the time of year when entertainment agriculture and bringing people out of the farm kind of puts us over the top just like retailers at Christmas time.  It's that extra boost of income that helps pay the bills."

The Farm Bureau says an oversupply pushed the value of that crop in New Jersey down to five-and-a-half million dollars last year but expects it'll rebound and be eight-to-ten million dollars this year.