The pumpkin, grown by Chris Stevens in New Richmond, Wisconsin weighs 1,810 1/2 pounds. It will be on display at The New York Botanical Garden through Halloween along with two other giant pumpkins. The second weightiest of the group (shown at right) clocks in at 1,725 pounds and was grown by Ken Sweet in Washington, Michigan. The third gourd in the giant pumpkin trio was grown by Steve Connolly in Sharon, Massachusetts and weighs 1,674 1/2 pounds.
Pictures cannot convey how impressive these amazing, sustainably-grown ‘Atlantic Giants’ are. So come see them for yourself! The pumpkins will be on display around the reflecting pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center through Sunday, October 31.
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 29, 30, and 31 renowned pumpkin carver Steve Cully will be at the Botanical Garden to carve the record-setting gourd. Cully will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the Largest Jack ‘O Lantern which he already holds!
To plan your visit and learn more about the pumpkins and the Garden, click here. And for eleven fun facts we learned about giant pumpkins from the growers themselves, click here.
Here are some fun facts I learned about giant pumpkins from the farmers that grow them.
– During peak growth, the pumpkins can add as much as 50 pounds of weight per day.
– The pale color of the pumpkins has been genetically selected for because the farmers think it looks nice. The pale salmon color also contains tinge of blue that highlights the genetic heritage of the Blue Hubbard squash.
The first of three giant pumpkins that will call The New York Botanical Garden home through Halloween (as part of Halloween Hoorah) arrived today. And what an arrival it was! The 1,725 pound beauty was grown by farmer Ken Sweet in Michigan–40 miles north of Detroit on the border of the towns of Romeo and Armada–and was driven here by his two buddies Don van Houtte and Mark Mikula. The two men set out yesterday, stopped in Pennsylvania for a rest and arrived behind the Conservatory around 11 a.m. They were greeted by a small fleet of golf carts bringing smiling Garden employees, and one very large forklift.
After a few photo ops with the employees, the giant pumpkin was lifted gently from its truck by the forklift, and carried in a caravan of golf carts to its resting spot by the reflecting pool in front of the Leon Levy Visitors Center where it will shortly be joined by two pumpkin buddies, including the new world record holder, a behemoth weighing in at 1,800 pounds!
All the old favorites will be here: the original Yankee Stadium, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Belvedere Castle, Pennsylvania Station. But there always has to be something new under the glittering dome of the Conservatory!
So this year the Botanical Garden and the workshop of Applied Imagination are adding some planes to our trains with the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed Trans World Airlines Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The modernist masterpiece (now known as JetBlue’s Terminal 5) comes complete with tarmac, runway, and several airplanes including the Concorde.
Just before thrilling the audience with his amazing food, anecdotes, tips, and tricks, we got a few minutes to ask Mario what he likes about the Botanical Garden.
Turns out: He likes the Garden quite a bit. We’re blushing!
Mario loves us! He really loves us!
Stay tuned for more from Mario’s demo. We’ll be posting another video soon, and recipes, too.
Only people who leave a comment on both pages by 1 p.m. Friday, October, 15 will be entered into a drawing from which one winner will be chosen at random. We’ll announce the winner on Friday afternoon on Facebook.
What’s the prize you ask? If you’re in New York City, we’ll reserve two front-row seats at Batali’s cooking demonstration just for you and a guest, plus you’ll receive a special gift from Mario. Not in New York? Never fear! You’ll still get the gift from Mario Batali, plus a little something from us!
So remember: Don’t leave a comment here, leave it on each of the two Facebook pages. Buona fortuna!
Mario Batali loves food. I know. I once, quite by mistake, was fortunate enough to follow him and his wife around the Union Square Greenmarket here in New York City. My husband and I were shopping for dinner and were quite focused on the task at hand, but we kept bumping into the chef and his wife. His love of the market, the farmers and the community surrounding it was obvious. Here was a man who truly loves food.
I see this same love, dare I say gusto, in Mario’s selections for his raised garden bed in the Home Gardening Center here at The New York Botanical Garden. The inevitable waning of the growing season has naturally dwindled the selection remaining in the garden, but everything that is still in there is beautiful, fragrant, delicious and just begging to be cooked. When I go to visit the Home Gardening Center (it’s quite near the Cafe, and a lovely place to stroll around for a few minutes after lunch) I love playing a game with the Celebrity Chef gardens planted in conjunction with the Edible Garden: If so-and-so were to come to my house tonight to cook me dinner, what out of this garden would I ask them to cook?
Yesterday a colleague and I headed over to the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden for a video shoot with the curator of the garden, Peter Kukielski. I’m new to The New York Botanical Garden, and haven’t been able to explore the 250 acres of gardens, exhibitions and forest as fully as I would have liked to by this point (Oh meetings! Oh weather!), so imagine my surprise when we crested the hill overlooking the Rose Garden and were enveloped by the intoxicating scent of the roses welling up to meet us.
Unreal. I wish smell-o-vision existed so I could give you a small preview of the aroma! Sadly it doesn’t. And even though I had previously read about the phenomenal show that the roses put on in fall, I still wasn’t prepared for how glorious the Rose Garden is right now. So, if you’re in the New York City area this weekend and looking for something to do, come to The Garden and take time to smell the roses. You won’t be sorry.
Pumpkins will be center stage this month: at The Edible Garden Conservatory Kitchen, at a brand new display during Halloween Hoorah in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, in the Pumpkin Patch across from the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, and in a special showcase of champion giant pumpkins.
This weekend (October 2–3) don’t miss Classy Parker of Just Food and Jason Weiner of Almond restaurants whip up dishes with pumpkins (and potatoes, too!).
Columbus Day Weekend (October 9–11) brings more pumpkins and cooking with kids at a harvest celebration featuring celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, crafts, tasty treats, and music.
Halloween Hoorah begins October 9—and runs all the way through October 31—treating visitors to a frightfully fun journey through a setting of hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns, parades, cider pressing, and more. Get a sneak peek of the spectacle, and learn about Michael Anthony Natiello, the artist who created the pumpkin sculptures.
The Pumpkin Patch has been growing all season, and now’s the time to see it at its best.
Some of the winning pumpkins from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth weigh-ins will be at the Garden beginning October 22—last year a world record of 1,725 pounds was set! Bring your camera for great photo ops.
So make sure to “carve out” some family time to come to Garden this month. It’s so fun, it’s scary.
