It happens every September like clockwork. That first glimpse of bright orange from a roadside stand triggers a string of car blinkers and brake lights. Vehicles slow down and sidle up to farm wagons overflowing with pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, and potted mums. Children (and adults) carefully examine an ocean of orange in order to choose a trophy (or two, or ten) to take home for carving.
Hal Busby, owner of Beacon Farm Market in Canandaigua, has been a fan of pumpkin season since 1959 when his place opened up. This year is no different.
"It's been a good growing year for pumpkins," he says. "We've had lots of sun of and lots of water."
Busby sells four or five different varieties of pumpkins in all shapes, sizes and colors. From his exotic looking peanut pumpkins with their peanut shell-like skins, to the elegantly-shaped Cinderella pumpkins in a variety of shades, there is something for every pumpkin palette.
"It's all in the eye of the beholder," says Busby. "Whatever appeals to one person might not appeal to another."
But what's the best seller so far this year? The same as last year, and the year before.
"Normal old jack-o-lanterns," he says.
Busby doesn't recommend using jack-o-lantern pumpkins for pie-making though.
"Use pie pumpkins," he advises. "They're sweeter and not as stringy."
Beacon Farm Market gets all their pumpkins from local growers, and has them for sale from September through the end of October for about $3.99.
"All except the big, fancy ones," says Busby. "They're more. And the ornamental and pie pumpkins are less."
And whether they're carved with a paring knife, baked in pie, filled with flowers, pureed for the freezer, lit with a candle, brewed into ale, mashed into mousse or simply snuggled up next to a friendly scarecrow and a pot of mums, they're quite simply pumpkin-perfect fun.
It happens every September like clockwork. That first glimpse of bright orange from a roadside stand triggers a string of car blinkers and brake lights. Vehicles slow down and sidle up to farm wagons overflowing with pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, and potted mums. Children (and adults) carefully examine an ocean of orange in order to choose a trophy (or two, or ten) to take home for carving.
Hal Busby, owner of Beacon Farm Market in Canandaigua, has been a fan of pumpkin season since 1959 when his place opened up. This year is no different.
"It's been a good growing year for pumpkins," he says. "We've had lots of sun of and lots of water."
Busby sells four or five different varieties of pumpkins in all shapes, sizes and colors. From his exotic looking peanut pumpkins with their peanut shell-like skins, to the elegantly-shaped Cinderella pumpkins in a variety of shades, there is something for every pumpkin palette.
"It's all in the eye of the beholder," says Busby. "Whatever appeals to one person might not appeal to another."
But what's the best seller so far this year? The same as last year, and the year before.
"Normal old jack-o-lanterns," he says.
Busby doesn't recommend using jack-o-lantern pumpkins for pie-making though.
"Use pie pumpkins," he advises. "They're sweeter and not as stringy."
Beacon Farm Market gets all their pumpkins from local growers, and has them for sale from September through the end of October for about $3.99.
"All except the big, fancy ones," says Busby. "They're more. And the ornamental and pie pumpkins are less."
And whether they're carved with a paring knife, baked in pie, filled with flowers, pureed for the freezer, lit with a candle, brewed into ale, mashed into mousse or simply snuggled up next to a friendly scarecrow and a pot of mums, they're quite simply pumpkin-perfect fun.
