(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

There’s going to be plenty of pumpkin pie to go around in the tiny town of Tynsboro, Massachusetts. Jamie Graham of Tynsboro topped the record for the largest pumkin this past weekend at the Topsfield Fair. His giant gourd weighed in at a astounding 2,480 pounds! The new giant pumpkin record smashed last year’s record by 185 pounds.

You can see the blue ribbon pumpkin winner on display through October 10, the last day of the fair. The New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Contest is one of the most popular events, every year, at The Topsfield Fair. According to the Salem News, Graham (who came in 2nd place last year), has been chronicling the journey of the winning pumpkin on social media, from TikTok to Instagram and YouTube. He also told the Salem News, that his kids named the gourd Bear Swipe. And revealed to the news outlet that his prize earnings were $6,500 for first place, and he recieved a $2,022 bonus for breaking the Fair record.

The pumpkin competition at Topsfield has been going on since 1984. In case you were wondering, the winner that year was a pumpkin grown by Wayne Hackney of New Milford, CT and it weighed 433 pounds. Look how far we’ve come in the great gourd game!

 

 

So, what in the world do you do with a pumpkin this big, after it’s been grown and shown?  A jack-o-latern could be a fire hazard. You could make a LOT of pumpkin pie. Or you could get creative, I guess. You could carve it out and make a playhouse. You could put a ladder up the side and make it a slide. Or find inspiration here:

The Top Five Kookiest Pumpkin Spiced Treats In The U.S.A.

  • 5. Pumpkin Spiced Dump Cake

    Virginia is for Dump Cake? This is the top search for folks in Virginia, I have to  admit it looks a whole lot better than it sounds.

    Pumpkin Spice Dump Cake

    Pumpkin Spice Dump Cake may have a funny name but after just one bite you'll be impressed. Rich with fall flavors of warm spices, this easy to make cake will have everyone asking for seconds! It was so nice to start our week with a day off!

  • 4. Pumpkin Spiced Wine

    In the Peach Tree State of Georgia, they prefer their wine pumpkin spiced.

    How to Make Pumpkin Wine - A Unique Pumpkin Spice Recipe

    Did you know you can make wine out of just about any fruit or vegetable with a fairly high sugar content - even pumpkin wine? One of my foraging mentors, the late Mike Jacisin, was willing to experiment with cooking and fermenting just about anything.

  • 3. Pumpkin Spiced Hummus

    There’s pumpkin spiced hummus around us and it’s in North Carolina. To be fair it looks more like a dessert than something that you would have in the usual hummus way

    Pumpkin Spice Dessert Hummus - Once Upon a Pumpkin

    This pumpkin spice dessert hummus tastes like pumpkin pie and is made with chickpeas, peanut butter, pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice!

  • 2. Pumpkin Spiced Cup of Noodles

    For Washington state it’s Cup O’ Noodles Pumpkin Spice… oh boy

  • 1: Pumpkin Spice Spam

    For Connecticut and Indiana the choice is Pumpkin Spiced Spam. At first I thought this was a joke, but nope. It actually might taste better than you think. In fact, it might be better than the original Spam.

Carolyn Kruse Country 102.5 midday personality 9am-2pm Boston