Photo by: Valerie Sandercock
By: Reilly Buselli
Last weekend, Mrs. Sandercock and her pumpkin made the two-hour trip to Fort Lee, New Jersey. This week, however, was not for a ribbon. The pumpkin was sold, finally bringing an end to its award-winning career.
Each year, the Sandercocks must decide either to sell the pumpkin, donate it, or keep it to feed their local animals. If they decide to sell it, they have to find a buyer. This process doesn’t take too long, with the buyer occasionally finding them. If, by chance, they can’t find a buyer, a fellow pumpkin farmer usually knows someone who will take it. The buyers may come to pick up the pumpkin, but the Sandercocks usually must deliver the pumpkin themselves. These delivery drives can be up to two and a half hours.
Once the pumpkin gets to the buyer, they negotiate a price. This all depends on the beauty of the gourd. The bigger, more orange ones sell for higher, while scarred pumpkins are worth less. The top dollar for selling pumpkins is around one dollar per pound, but this all depends on the negotiations of the buyer.
Though this pumpkin season has come to a close, our memories of this award-winning gourd will stand true until the next growing season. If the Sandercocks decide to grow another ribbon worthy gourd next year, our community will be sure to watch and cheer them on!
