Biggest Pumpkin

Pumpkins are a staple fruit come Halloween. On the night of October 31st, pumpkins turn to Jack O’ Lanterns of various sizes – some with scary looks that are sure to have kids screaming, others with warm and friendly smiles welcoming little “trick or treat-ers.”

World records have been attempted at and broken time and again for the title of biggest pumpkin in the world, especially in the United States.

With the pumpkin’s popularity, pumpkin fairs and festivals are held each year throughout the world and this is where competitions for having grown the biggest pumpkin in the world usually take place.

The latest record-holder for having grown the biggest pumpkin in the world is Chris Stevens from New Richmond, Wisconsin. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the 1,810.5 – pound pumpkin grown by Christ as the current biggest pumpkin in the world.

The pumpkin was presented at the Stillwater Harvest Festival in Stillwater, Minnesota on the ninth of October 2010. The circumference of the pumpkin was pegged at approximately 186.5 inches, or well over fifteen feet.

The pumpkin was also displayed at the New York Botanical Gardens after it was presented at the Stillwater Harvest Festival.

Past Record-Holders

Before Chris Stevens earned the title of owning the biggest pumpkin in the world, the title belonged to one Christy Harp, whose pumpkin weighed in at 1,725 pounds in 2009.

Harp’s pumpkin was weighed and presented during the Ohio Giant Pumpkin Growers Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off on the third of October, 2009.

In 2007, it was Joe Jutras who was the record-holder for having the largest pumpkin in the world. He presented a pumpkin that weighed-in at 1,689 pounds during the Topsfield Fair on the 29th of September.

In 2006, Ron Wallace held the same record for his pumpkin, which weighed 1,502 pounds. It was presented during the Rhode Island Weigh-Off on the 7th of October.

Pumpkin Trivia

1. The Irish were the ones who started the tradition of carving pumpkins in the United States. In their native country, they actually carved turnips but when they moved to the United States, they shifted to pumpkins having found out that pumpkins were plentiful in the US.

2. During the early colonial period, pumpkin was actually used for the pie crust and not for the filling of the pie.

3. Ninety percent of pumpkins are made up of water.

4. Illinois is the largest grower of pumpkins in the United States.

5. Did you know that pumpkins do not only come in their usual orange color? There are also blue, red, white, tan, green and yellow pumpkins.