(The Center Square) – Illinois continues to be the top pumpkin-producing state.
It’s been many years since any other pumpkin growing state has beaten Illinois in pumpkin production. Raghela Scavuzzo, executive director of Illinois Specialty Growers, said Illinois produced 651.9 million pounds of pumpkins in 2021, 39% of all the pumpkins produced in the U.S.
“Illinois has been No. 1 in pumpkin production for many, many years, and we are very proud of that,” Scavuzzo told The Center Square.
Decades of experience and dedicated research keep Illinois on top, she said. In 2021, Illinois harvested many more pumpkins than its closest competitor Indiana. Indiana is the second largest pumpkin-producing state, clocking in with 181 million pounds. California, Texas and Michigan round out the top five biggest pumpkin-growing states.
“Illinois soil is just prime for pumpkin production. We grow beautiful pumpkins year after year,” she said.
Nearly 18,000 acres of pumpkins were planted in Illinois last year. Compare that to sweet corn, which accounted for 6,500 acres. Ninety-seven percent of the pumpkins went to processors.
In the 1920s, Illinois established its pumpkin processing industry. Nestle Libby has a huge pumpkin-processing plant in Morton, the town that bills itself the Pumpkin Capital of the world. Seneca Foods has a large pumpkin-processing plant in Princeville.
The top 10 pumpkin-producing counties in Illinois are Tazewell, Kankakee, Mason, Logan, Will, Marshall, Kane, Pike, Carroll and Woodford.
Most people don’t know that pumpkins are a fruit, not a vegetable. People have been growing and eating pumpkins for 10,000 years. In colonial times, settlers cut the tops off the pumpkins, then they filled them with milk and honey and spices and roasted them in fire ashes. That is thought to be the origin of pumpkin pie.
A niche business in Illinois is growing gigantic pumpkins. Seeds for the mammoth 1,000 pound-plus prize winners start at $35 dollars and sell for as much as $1,000. Last year, Henry Bartimus of Dewitt raised a 1,673-pound pumpkin to win the prize at the Heap Giant Pumpkin weigh off in Minooka.
