# the great pumpkin



## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

This year's winner at the Ak state fair was a 918 lb pumpkin...the same guy last year had one at 1017 lbs. EVERYTHING'S bigger in Alaska


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## Kyoberr (Dec 6, 2006)

Good to know. Pumpkins are cool.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

i'm really not sure how i feel about thinsg like that. on the one hand, it's pretty cool, on the other, it's just downright wasteful.

maybe it's just the amt of food and material we waste in this country that sickens me in general.


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Alaskans dont waist food Gil, they pack it away for winter.
Or set it out for the critters to eat. Moose love pumpkin BTW 
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/508344.html


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## mrmoby (Jan 18, 2005)

I Got a Rock


sorry...saw Great Pumpkin......couldnt help myself


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## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

gil_ong said:


> i'm really not sure how i feel about thinsg like that. on the one hand, it's pretty cool, on the other, it's just downright wasteful.
> 
> maybe it's just the amt of food and material we waste in this country that sickens me in general.


I'm not sure that I understand where you're going with this, gil. Can you explain what you mean?

No one said that the pumpkin was then left in a dumpster to rot. This individual has contributed to this state, and, in a small way, to the planet Earth, by perusing agriculture. Knowing the locals here, it's likely that he (or she) took LOTS of pictures, and will be canning the pumpkin for future use 

How is being a good gardener "wasteful"? I'm truly curious.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

well. if it really gets canned, then great. but i cannot imagine a pumpkin that big being tasting halfway decent, even for canning.


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## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

I didn't realize that size impacts taste.

That being the case, it'd be safe to assume he'll be using it in a compost pile 

I can see your point if it were applied to a different item, or perhaps a different place. I'm sure New York and Alaska are very different places.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

What I want to know how is big was the pumpkin pie? 

I can't buy the wasteful argument. I mean, are you going to eat your fish? Most every "hobby" is pointless and and wasteful from a strict point of view. There may be a few exceptions, like knitting and quilt making, but by and large we are wasting time and money we could be donating to worthy causes.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

yeah, i guess when you look at it as a hobby/sport.... it's really not so wasteful afterall.

i mean, people haven't sported motor sports with the "decrease in oil supply (increase in gas prices). right?

it's probably just me. see food go to "waste" instead of being fed to people just rubs me the wrong way.


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## mesapod (Aug 18, 2007)

Ya but if it does go into the compost it would be used as soil again so he could grow more food. I wish i could have seen that pumpkin i have never seen one that big. Do you know how tall it was?


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## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

mesapod said:


> Do you know how tall it was?


http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8913476


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

If a person were short enough they could hook a couple of horses to it and use it for a carriage. Save gas and no waste. lol


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## Kyoberr (Dec 6, 2006)

Hahaha you guys it doesn't matter, they can do what they want.

Hahahaha Buggy, I like your comments.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Tremendous waste of gas hauling it to and from the fair...

I have found that bigger pumpkins have a really bland and fairly disgusting flavor. Smaller pumpkins are much more rich. The asian-style pumpkins like you get in Japanese restaurants are much more interesting. I'm not sure if they are cultivated stateside.


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Who cares !!!!!! Geez The fact of the matter is, the family had a great summer growing it!! And when was the last time you had a family fun that big ??


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Hmm, Giant pleco cave? Shellac it and make into a rain barrell? 

Did you see he tucked it in every night?

If the pie is no good, how are the seeds from a giant pumpkin? Are there more of them or are they also big? 

Count yourself among the lucky or blessed to have the leisure for fish-keeping, pumpkin-growing or whatever else floats your boat. For all the economic downturn, its still a great time to be alive compared to past centuries.


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

Hey guys.....IT"S A CONTEST FOR A STATE FAIR.....they grow all kinda of giant veggies for competition......it ain't about how much gas it takes to haul it ......or whether it is eaten or not........Alaska has very fetrile ground to grow things in and 24 hours of daylight......and guess what!! we got water too.....water to grow giant veggies, water to fish in, and water to wash our cars.....we don't have to ration water like some states.
So please forget the holier than though attitudes about "wasting food" Heck, if you want it, after the fair, I'm sure the guy would ship it to you..........it'a just a contest for crying out loud. Are we "wasting energy to keep our aquariums lit and the filters running????? Think of all the gas spent running back and forth to fish stores. Then ....let's cry the blues about the fish that are taken from their natural habitat to be kept in our tanks (jail cells). Take a pumpkin seed, put it in the ground, and water it, and let Alaska's 24 hour a day sunshine grow it to maturity....where's the waste? Wanna get on a high horse??? How 'bout all the grapes grown in upstate NY that are WASTED by making wine from them??? Now there's a waste. How many lives are WASTED by people driving drunk on that wine ? Take it for what it is....A CONTEST AT A STATE FAIR


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I'm with you BV. I thinks its neat. Its got to be a good way to interest kids in agriculture. I did have the "its immoral to waste food" indoctrination as a kid, but the truth is me cleaning my plate and getting fat doesn't help anyone. Its something we need to get over. This whole blame game. Turn it around. Make it moral duty to feed the hungry, that makes far more sense.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

Kiddies:

Have yall lost your "you know what" minds?

Folks pass this tradition down through generations.

I know that it is not like getting through a crack in the fence to graffiti and skateboard but it is enjoyed by many folks.

TR


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

the seeds are saved and sold to folks for future generations of giant pumpkins.the vines are tilled back into the soil to enrich it.the pumpkin itself;although not very good for flavor;it is processed for animal feed as it is very rich in nutrients.none of the plant goes to waste...unlike all of the millions of pumpkins that are grown around the rest of the country and sold for folks to make jack o lanterns out of.most all of those are thrown in the garbage with no one reaping any benefits from them.


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## Johnny-J5 (Sep 5, 2008)

edited after reading Netetiquette...


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## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

Thats a pretty big pumpkin. I'm from Oregon and you see many large pumpkins during halloween at local farms and stuff its pretty neat. I once saw a show where farmers tried to grow large pumpkins for contests and the people growing them were absoluty insane. If their pumpkin cracked or somehow got ruined the people would cry. I probably would too if I was growing the thing but im not haha.


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