Area farms and organizations are carving out time for pumpkin-related fun this Halloween season.
The tradition of carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is Celtic and pagan in origin.
According to history.com, “The practice of carving ghoulish faces on vegetables may have roots in Ireland, where large turnips served as early canvases. The name jack-o’-lantern comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack.”
The legend of Stingy Jack paints him as a trickster having fooled the devil and, history.com stated, when “God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven … the Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as ‘Jack of the Lantern,’ and then, simply ‘Jack O’Lantern.’
“In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits,” the site continues. “In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought their vegetable-carving traditions with them when they came to the United States, helping change American pumpkin-carving from a general autumn pastime to one uniquely associated with Halloween.”
Locally, Oneonta’s Huntington Memorial Library is hosting its annual Pumpkin Glow from 6-7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24. In preparation for the event, the library will host a free pumpkin-carving workshop from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Ariel Turrigiano, program planner with the library, said the event has been held “at least since 2019.”
“The Pumpkin Glow is an event where we get a bunch of pumpkins, though everyone is invited to bring their own, and we have different ways of getting people to carve jack-o’-lanterns,” she said. “We bring them down to local businesses, we have a carving event that we hold every year … or you can sign up and come pick them up at the library and, on the day of the event, people can drop off their carved jack-o’-lantern and we’ll strategically place them around the walkways and light them up. They’re aglow, and people can come and see the beautiful jack-o’-lanterns and enjoy fall refreshments and we have games for the kids and they vote on their favorite jack-o’-lantern.”
Pumpkin Glow is free and open to the public, as is the earlier carving event.
“They’ll just walk up and be given a marble and that’s how everyone votes on their favorites,” Turrigiano said. “We put numbered paper bags next to the pumpkins and everyone drops their marble into the pumpkin they like the most, and that’s a way to get a headcount.”
The pumpkin-carving workshop is limited to about 12 people, she said, though carvers may still sign up to pick up a free pumpkin, carve it offsite and return it to the library before the glow.
Turrigiano said the glow has become a community favorite. Last year’s glow, she said, featured 43 jack-o’-lanterns.
“It just seems to be a really popular event for the community and we always get a really great turnout,” she said. “Last year, we had a little over 300 (people attend), and the year before that. The community really seems to enjoy a simple fall tradition — everybody loves carving jack-o’-lanterns and, even if you can’t participate that way, it is a great way to get out of the house, see the creativity of the community, gather with friends and enjoy fall. It’s definitely been growing and it’s a lot of fun.”
The glow, Turrigiano said, is attended by “mostly locals, though we do tend to get some college students and a bunch of kids and families, and quite a few people out on walks with their dogs.”
Planning for the glow, Turrigiano said, begins in late August.
“We actually get a lot of help from the Friends of the Library,” she said. “They’re the ones bringing the refreshments and paying for the table rentals.”
Roughly 50 pumpkins, Turrigiano said, are donated by an area garden center.
For more information, visit hmloneonta.org or find Huntington Memorial Library on Facebook.
Pumpkin events in Delaware County
In Margaretville, the historical society will present its inaugural “All Things Pumpkin” event 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Road.
According to a media release, “There will be pumpkin painting and decorating for kids, pumpkin trivia and a pumpkin seed spitting contest. Pumpkin soup will be available, along with hot mulled cider. Guest judges will preside over a bake-off (with prizes) for pumpkin cookies and bread. Bakers are asked to bring a plate of a dozen cookies or a loaf of pumpkin bread to the center by 1:30 [p.m.]”
For more information on the bakeoff, contact Iris at 845-586-4689. For information on the event, contact Diane Galusha, 845-586-4973, or visit mtownhistory.org.
Though Maplewood Farm & Orchard in Delhi saw its final pumpkin-selling weekend Oct. 11, owner Karen LaFever offered insight into pumpkin-picking and -carving trends.
LaFever, who operates the 74 Meredith St. property with her husband, said picking pumpkins has become a beloved activity.
“We have an orchard and we also make maple syrup and … the store, that’s where I make value-added products using the maple, and we press cider and have fun and games,” she said. “Then, up on the hill, we have about 25 acres of fields and probably two and half acres in pumpkins.
“Of course, we’ve got your jack-o’-lanterns — currently we have four varieties — and your specialty,” she said, naming Polar Bear, warty, Scarface and Cinderella varietals for the latter. “They’re squatty and you can layer them, like a pumpkin snowman. And, of course, we’ve got the mini gourds – pumpkins and crookneck gourds and all that, and we give a hay wagon ride by tractor up (to the pumpkins). It’s a bit of an adventure, and it’s fun for people to go and do that. This is our sixth season with the U-pick. Many (visitors) are second homeowners or people visiting the people with second homes, and many people from the area, as well, that have children or grandchildren and are coming for the experience of picking their own pumpkin. Not everyone has the land in their backyard, because they’re very viny and they spread right out. It’s just a fun fall event, to get out and come to our farm.”
Conditions, LaFever said, were “pretty good” this year for pumpkins.
“We had a good pollination rate early in the season, then things dried up with the drought, but we had enough pollination to give us quite a few pumpkins,” she said. “Then, in August, we had the rain and plants came alive again and put out a whole bunch of new blossoms, so we had a second round of pumpkins.”
LaFever said that, when it comes to carving, the classics are most user-friendly.
“For the most part, we have a lot of very large jack-o’-lantern pumpkins, which are excellent for carving, and you can really put a good face or design on,” she said. “You want to carve from a jack-o’-lantern pumpkin, but you could do a specialty one. And there’s lots of things you can do with a pumpkin if you’re not into carving them into a face. You can use them as a serving bowl for a party or, of course, a planter. You can paint the white ones a color and put sunflowers in the top, or any type of flower. You can cut a quarter of it out, leave the guts inside and use it as a feeder for squirrels or birds and they’ll just eat from it and pick at the innards. And there’s the favorite of roasting the seeds. Many of the gourds, like the Cinderella, are excellent (seeds) for eating and they have a nice flavor.”
And, when picking a pumpkin, LaFever said, “just make sure it’s firm all over and the stem is a good, hard stem.”