Smiling down on the pumpkin patch
By Wendy Soloduik

All of this year's Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off ribbon winners

Great scott, is that a pumpkin, or Cinderella's coach? No you're not seeing things, those really are giant pumpkins on display at Cornerstone Landscaping.

Saturday, Cornerstone/QBin, hosted their second annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off at their facility on the 10th Line of Innisfil (at Hwy. 400). In all, there were 15 massive pumpkins entered into the contest with the winning gourd weighing in at 945 pounds. Taking home the gold medal and carving his name into the trophy for the second year in a row was Todd Kline, of Shawville, Quebec.

Kline's 'Atlantic Giant' pumpkin was the furthest travelled this year, but last year, participants came from as far away as New York state.

"We are one of only 55 official weigh off sites in the world," said Giant Pumpkin judge Russ Landry. "So people will travel a great distance to participate in these contests."

Despite the weight of Kline's pumpkin, yields were smaller this year than normal, due to a dry, cool summer.

This year's winner Todd Kline with his 945 lbs. 'Atlantic Giant' pumpkin

A second prize, won by Daryl Leonard of Wyevalle, was also awarded by Cornerstone for the 'Prettiest Pumpkin'. Judges Russ Landry, Phil Joynson and Roy Lee, selected the fruit for its "traditional shape and deep colour."

Roy Lee, owner of Cornerstone Landscaping, also grew his own pumpkins for the contest in a patch that faces the 400 Hwy.

"All of Cornerstone's pumpkins are grown in Quadmix soil," added Landry. "They are in the top 20 in the world for weight."

The Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off was sponsored by King's Buffet and Robert Simpson Brewery, of Barrie.

Interested participants in next year's contest can register anytime at bigpumpkin.com, or at Cornerstone Landscaping.

"There aren't any secrets to growing a giant," said Kline, who says he'll be back again next year, "it takes a good seed, mother nature and a little bit of luck."

Some pumpkin trivia:

•The pumpkin is the state fruit of New Hampshire.

•The pumpkin is from the Squash (Marrow) family and is related to the zucchini (courgette).

•The largest pumpkin on record weighed 1502 lb (666 kg) and was grown by Ron Wallace of Green, RI.

•If you multiply the number of fruiting sections in a field pumpkin by 16 it is the number of seeds in the pumpkin, give or take 10 or so.

•Pumpkins are orange because they contain massive amounts of lutein, alpha- and beta-carotene. These nutrients turn to vitamin A in the body.

•In Korea and Japan, the word translating to "pumpkin" is a slang term for an unattractive woman. In the American South and Midwest, however, the term "pumpkin" is sometimes used as an endearment. In Britain, it is a slang word for a person with red hair, equivalent to "carrot-top" in the U.S.