Gourd Thing We Have Logistics
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Image description: a close-up of the top of a pumpkin
We’ve made it all the way to the fall, which means that it’s pumpkin carving season again! But did you know that if we didn’t have trucking and logistics, you might not get to carve a pumpkin at all? It depends on where you live. Some parts of the U.S. have lots of pumpkin farms, while others only have a few.
Since we do have trucks that ship pumpkins this time of year, you should have no problem finding the perfect gourd for your front porch. But what if we didn’t have those trucks? Well, then you’d have to work with what you had at home. Different regions grow different crops, so your experience would vary.
We looked at all the regions of the contiguous United States to see what each one would have to use in place of pumpkins if we didn’t have the shipping industry. And now that we’ve done that little thought experiment, let’s just say that we’re grateful for logistics. Why? Well, take a look.
Northeast
image description: a field of cabbages
States That Grow a Lot of Pumpkins: New York and Pennsylvania
Chances of Obtaining a Pumpkin: 4/10
What You’d Have to Use Instead: Cabbage
Experience Rating: 6/10. Using a cabbage as a jack o’ lantern might not be that bad, actually. It’s roughly the same size as a small pumpkin, right? Out of all the regions on this list, the Northeast has the best odds of enjoying their non-pumpkin jack o’lantern experience. The reason why we can’t rate it a full ten stars is that the carving process is bound to get a little rough. Sawing through all that foliage won’t be easy.
West
image description: potatoes
States That Grow a Lot of Pumpkins: California
Chances of Obtaining a Pumpkin: 1/10
What You’d Have to Use Instead: Potatoes
Experience Rating: 3/10. On the plus side, it’s not hard to carve a potato. You wouldn’t need an electric saw like the Northeasterners. On the minus side, it’s not hard to carve a potato. You’d have to go about this process very, very carefully. And then find a tiny candle.
Southwest and Southeast
image description: a blue question mark on a pink background
States That Grow a Lot of Pumpkins: Texas and Virginia
Chances of Obtaining a Pumpkin: 1/10. Like the Northeast, the South only has two states that grow a lot of pumpkins. But Northeasterners have a slightly better chance because they live in a smaller region. There’s a lot more space between Texas and Virginia than there is between New York and Pennsylvania. If you happen to be in Texas, though, we assume that your odds are great, judging by the fact that Texas’s state squash is the pumpkin. The state squash. It’s a thing. Evidently, they voted on it in 2013.
What You’d Have to Use Instead: Your imagination. Most of what we grow here in the South is some form of grass, like wheat or barley. There’s also soybeans. We’ve got lots of those. We can’t think of a good way to hollow out a soybean, though.
Experience Rating: 0/10
Midwest
image description: a close-up of several uncooked cobs of corn
States That Grow a Lot of Pumpkins: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio
Chances of Obtaining a Pumpkin: 9/10. Out of the ten states that grow the most pumpkins, four of them are in the Midwest. Illinois is ranked number one. This gives you some really good odds of getting a pumpkin for jack o’lantern purposes. Which is a good thing because, well, you’ll see in a minute.
What You’d Have to Use Instead: Corn. Obviously.
Experience Rating: Either 0/10 or 10/10. We can’t decide. It depends on how comfortable you are with unpredictability, we guess.
See, the problem is that if you hollow out any vegetable and put a candle in it, that vegetable is going to heat up really fast. And, well, your vegetable is covered in corn kernels. Which means that your jack o’lantern is going to turn into a popcorn projectile launcher.
We hate to do this to you, Midwesterners. You already have to wear sweats under your costumes most years. But if you didn’t have pumpkins and had to resort to corncob jack o’lanterns, you’d have to wear safety goggles, too.
Need to Ship Some Pumpkins?
We don’t know about the rest of you, but we’re glad we don’t have to figure out how to carve a cabbage.
Since we do live in a world with logistics, we’re here to make your shipping process run more smoothly. Our clients don’t just ship pumpkins and other produce, though. We work with those who ship paper, auto parts, lawn and garden equipment, and much more. When you’re ready to learn more, get in touch with the Pearce team.
