Pumpkins. For many, these orange gourds make or break the perfect autumn festivities. As children, many of us accompanied our parents to the pumpkin patch to wrestle the largest gourd and carry it home. Even as college students, we still thrill over carving and crafting them. This tradition is as crucial for fall as decorating pine trees is for winter. From the traditional autumn repast – complete with apple cider and pumpkin pie – to the oh-so-familiar jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins are typically everywhere. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cider, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin bread, even pumpkin cream cheese – autumn would be barren without these orange vegetables.
Yet, this year pumpkin-lovers have been panicking. It seems that this season’s crop of pumpkins has been decimated by last spring’s torrential downpours and the summer’s scalding heat. Even without the help from Mother Nature, massive amounts of crops were destroyed by two vicious pumpkin-destroying fungi. Everyone, from TIME magazine to florists, has been distressed by the shortage. According to CBS, this shortage will result in high prices and less pumpkin produce.
Farmers and farm bureaus, however, have informed the general public that the catastrophe is not nearly as, well, catastrophic as the news propagates. Despite these bureaus’ attempts to restore tranquility in pumpkin-lovers nationwide, prices have increased. Some farmers have reported record-breaking losses. In Sherborn, Mass., one farmer claims his harvest will be a mere 17 tons rather than his expected norm of 70 tons. As a result, prices have gone so high as to double. It appears, Charlie Brown, that the Great Pumpkin won’t be making rounds this year.
