It’s time to head to the patch to pick the perfect pumpkin.

This year you may have a better selection.

“Georgia farmers planted almost half again as many pumpkins this
year as in 1994,” said
Terry Kelley, a horticulturist with the University of Georgia
Extension Service.

“We estimate there are about 500 acres of pumpkins in the state
this year, up from about 350
two years ago,” Kelley said. “Figuring about 1,500 pumpkins per
acre, that’s 750,000
potential jack-o’-lanterns.”

But even the extra acres won’t meet Georgians’ demand for
pumpkins. Kelley said markets
usually import pumpkins from the Midwest and Great Lakes area,
where a bad growing season
in 1995 boosted market prices.

“Whenever prices go up in any crop, farmers will plant more of
it,” he said.

Growers are also trying innovative marketing ideas in the
pumpkin patch. They range from
hay rides and petting zoos to displays of novelty vegetables,
such as ornamental pumpkins,
gourds and popcorn.

“It can turn into an outing,” Kelley said. “Take a family trip
to the pumpkin patch before
Halloween. See the sights and fall leaves. Make a day of it.”

You also can find pumpkins at roadside stands or farmers’
markets. The price varies by size,
type, color and when you buy.

If it’s size you want, don’t expect the Great Pumpkin to appear
in any Georgia fields.

The world-record pumpkin, grown in Ontario, Canada, weighed in
at 990 pounds. The
Southeast’s weather favors diseases that damage or destroy
pumpkins before they reach
mammoth size.

“Most varieties we grow get to about 25 or 30 pounds at most,”
Kelley said. “That’s about as
large as people can comfortably handle for holiday decorating or
preserving.”

Different varieties have different shapes, colors and flesh
thickness. Some are better for
jack-o’-lantern carving. Larger pumpkins have thicker walls that
may be harder to carve.

Pie pumpkins are usually smaller, running four to five pounds
each. “Their flesh is thicker and
more dense. And they’re sweeter,” Kelley said.

No matter the type of pumpkin you want, Kelley suggests you
select and store it carefully.

* Choose a pumpkin that’s not damaged and is evenly firm. Check
it all over for nicks, cuts,
pits or soft spots that can lead to rotting and discoloration.

* Make sure the stem is attached. Infections can invade easily
and cause rot. Many rot
organisms love sugar, and pumpkins are full of it.

* Store it carefully, especially if you pick it from the vine
yourself. Cure a fresh-picked
pumpkin by keeping it in a dry place. Don’t handle or disturb
it. Curing toughens the rind,
making it less prone to rot.

If the pumpkin you’ve picked will be your jack-o’-lantern, here
are some hints:

Use a sharp, clean knife to cut open the pumpkin. Then clean out
the pulp and rinse the cavity.
Use a paring knife to carve the jack-o’-lantern features.

If you plan to preserve your pumpkin, decorate it with nontoxic
paints, markers or stickers.
The cut flesh will dry out quickly and can rot more easily,
making it unfit for canning or
freezing.

Don’t waste the flesh.

Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A and potassium. One-half cup of
cooked pumpkin provides more
than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A. And one cup
of cooked pumpkin
contains only 81 calories. It’s low in fat and sodium, too.

As the fall holidays near, Georgia growers strive to provide
perfect pumpkins. “Roadside
stands and farmers’ markets will probably have the best deals on
pumpkins,” Kelley said. “But
prices almost always rise the closer to Halloween it gets.”