The last few years have been tough on the pumpkin crop. Not so this season. The fields are filled with the usual orange-colored pumpkins and with the newer, specialty ones. They seem to be available in all colors and varieties.

Virginia expects to have 70 million pounds of pumpkins ready for purchasing. Now, that’s a lot of pies!

Consumers seem to be interested in more than making pies. Some popular ones this year include white ones and the strange, scary-looking ones that have bumps and veins running through them. Some new varieties include the Knuckle Head and the peanut pumpkin, see picture, which is short and fat and looks as if someone inserted peanuts into its flesh during the growing season. Its botanical name is a little fancier: Brode D’Galeuse Eysines!

No matter how you want to use your pumpkin at least you’ll find ample Virginia-grown pumpkins to make goblins of all ages pleased.