SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The manager of The Pumpkin Hollow, Louise Cox, was slightly concerned on Wednesday about how the frost would impact her two pumpkin patches. But the aftermath was not as bad as she had anticipated.
One patch is located at the company’s primary location of 3735 West Seneca Turnpike, and the other is located in the Valley a couple of miles away.
“The Valley got hit with more of a frost than here,” Cox said.
Then she called her son Garrett, the assistant manager of the patches.
“He said only where it got frosted… did (the pumpkins) get a soft spot,” Cox said.
The trick to avoiding mushy pumpkins due to frost is simply covering them with any material, according to the orchard staff. Cox said a “killing frost” is what can wipe out an entire patch, but Wednesday morning’s frost was not that.
The state of New York brings in an estimated $24 million annually in pumpkin production, according to Cornell Cooperative Extension. The state’s nearly 7,000 acres of pumpkin production ranks top three in the nation.
Louise was accompanied by three other helpers on Wednesday.
“Our whole mission statement here is for family and kids,” Cox said.
Not only is Cox’s son Garrett the assistant manager, but her husband, Charles, is the owner. Garrett leads a team of eight teen workers who pick pumpkins after school. It’s that family base that helps attract customers, even on a cold mid-October day, Cox said.
Temperatures this weekend are projected to be around 70 degrees.
“The warm weekend weather drives our base of visitors by five to ten times,” Cox said.
But pumpkin season is quickly winding down. October 31 is the final day that The Pumpkin Hollow will sell its most prominent item. Once November hits, wildlife like deer enjoys the pumpkin remains, according to the patch’s employees.
