So what will I do with the giant pumpkins I grew this year? ‘Well for starters, ‘Kong’ is on display at Liquid Light Glass studio until the first Friday of November Nov. 5th) when we will have the 3rd Annual Pumpkin Bash where all those helpers (who graciously offered me their time and muscle) and friends can have a whack to see who can split the pumpkin. Then we cut up the pieces and I will have called previously many of my cook friends and they will come get their piece of pumpkin for pumpkin soup, muffins or pies, etc. My giant pumpkins are grown organically and taste great. I also may be taking it to the Farmers Market for the Farmers Market Institute’s annual fundraiser next weekend as well. I’m waiting to hear from them the logistics of moving around a 421 lb pumpkin. This is not something you can just whip around!

Also I took my last giant pumpkin, ‘Little More’ whom I named after the grower, Pete Mohr (from whom I got the seed) to Tune Up Cafe for a Charity Fundraiser that I do with them every year to raise money for the Youth Shelter here in Santa Fe. Anyone who wants, can guess the weight of the pumpkin for a dollar and if they guess it correctly, will get a free entree from Tune Up Cafe. We usually raise between $200-$400 for them. Then the last week of October, I will take ‘Little More’ to Erika Wanenmacher, an artist at Baca Street Studios who will carve it for our Halloween Party we have at the studio complex on Oct 30 this year. Erika carved one of my pumpkins last year and did a great job. Can’t wait to see what she will do this year.

Last year's (09) pumpkin carved by Erika Wanenmacher

And lastly, I took the one I had in the State Fair, ‘Harpie’ which won a first place, to Kitchen Angels here in Santa Fe to help feed homebound individuals living with challenging conditions.

I try to grow these giants and it makes it all seem worthwhile to do something positive with them at the end of the season. At first it bothered me to cut them up but we wouldn’t want them rotting in the patch would we? That seems like such a waste and I do not like to waste..