A pumpkinless fall?
An important fall symbol is at risk.
By Laura Wood, Local CorrespondentMon, Sep 28 2009 at 4:04 PM EST
To me, pumpkins are the symbol of fall. I usually cannot wait to go pick out a pumpkin and spend an afternoon carving it and lighting it up outside my house for those little trick-or-treaters to come knocking on our door. And the smell of a warm pumpkin pie cooling on the stove-top is the final piece to a perfect Thanksgiving meal.
As I headed down the baking aisle of my local Hannafords, a terrfying notification was displayed in place of the section I usually grab some pumpkin pie filling. Due to the extenuating rain Maine and the rest of New England experienced this summer, the store is currently out of stock of any pumpkin products. I realized upon further investigation that Maine pumpkin farmers had a truly horrible season with most farmers losing 50 percent of their normal crop yield this year and others losing everything. The rain simply drowned the pumpkin seeds, forced the critical pollinating bees to hide in their hives and promoted fungal growth that has rotted the few pumpkins that managed to grow.
Mainers shouldn't be too concerned, however. Our capitalist system and extensive global market will provide everyone with all the pumpkins they desire. The one regret for those counting their carbon emissions is that any pumpkin you pick up in Maine is most likely not local and it will be more expensive this fall.
Photo: ommnom/ebay
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect
the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions,
MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
| Previous Post Maine takes action to dispose of CFLs safely and responsibly | Next Post Examining UMaine's energy source in light of anti-coal campaign |
Comments
Guest
11/02/2009 21:22 PM
Although you may not be able to get carving pumpkins at the Orono Farmers Market. Several farmers have pie pumpkins of various shapes and sizes. Squash also makes a nice substitute for pumpkin and, in my opinion, is far superior pie.
And if you really needed that orange on your Halloween doorstep, decorative gourds were available at the Saturday market.
You just need to think outside the box, the big box store that is.
