Published: October 28, 2008 07:28 pm            

It’s pumpkin season

They should be large, heavy, orange and unblemished

FAIRMONT — Until the winter frost gets into full swing, it is officially pumpkin season

And whether carving a jack-o’-lantern or baking bread, there are certain qualities one should look for when picking out a suitable fall pumpkin.

Large, heavy, orange and unblemished are the most prominent characteristics of a good pumpkin, said Duke Durbin, owner of Mon River Garden Center.

“I think the big thing is finding one that’s not wounded. As long as it does not have any blemishes and it feels heavy. Heavy is a good thing,” Durbin said. “And avoid any soft spots, they are the first ones to rot.”

Mon River Garden Center has been selling pumpkins at the East Side facility for four years, with this year being the second they have grown their own, Durbin said. He grows them at a patch at home and then brings them to the store for customers to pick through and choose the ones they want.

Durbin said the center sells $3, $5 and $8 pumpkins, differentiated by size.

“We have a selection for people to go through and decide what they want,” he said.

Durbin said that color is also a factor when choosing a good pumpkin, with the deeper orange ones usually being more healthy and ripe. At the local garden center, Durbin said that they only have orange pumpkins, but in other places he said that people are beginning to breed decorative ones that are different colors, like white and green.

Durbin added that the pumpkin buyer should also pay attention to the stem, because those that are broken usually tend to rot quicker. He said that people also should not pick a pumpkin up by its stem so it doesn’t break.

These characteristics apply not only to Halloween pumpkins that will be carved into jack-o’-lanterns but also to those used for baking. Durbin said that many people come to his store looking for pumpkins to use to bake pumpkin bread and sometimes pumpkin pie.

“You should look for a big, solid, good pumpkin, even if it’s just to make bread,” Durbin said.

He said that a good pumpkin, before it is carved or cut into, has a shelf life of about two months. But once it is sliced open, Durbin said a pumpkin will last only a few days and no more than a week.

E-mail Mallory Panuska at mpanuska@timeswv.com.

        

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