Oh Gourd! Michael Jordan The Pumpkin Just Broke The Record For Biggest Ever

The record for world's largest gourd is back in American hands! The World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off was on Monday near San Francisco.  And the winner was a 2,749-pound pumpkin grown in Minnesota.  (Here's a photo.) The previous record was a pumpkin out of Italy.  It weighed in at 2,702 pounds back in 2021.  So this one was 47 pounds heavier.

According to the website Scientific America; A fruit’s (pumpkin) growth is also determined by how much sugar gets transported to it, as opposed to other plant structures such as leaves, stem and roots. Internal vesicles called phloem carry sugar to fruits, and research indicates that pumpkins have more dedicated phloem tissue than most plants, helping them grow even larger. And giant pumpkins seem to have even more phloem tissue than smaller pumpkin varieties.

1.  Its name is "Michael Jordan".  (???)  The guy who grew it named it after him because the year is 2023 . . . Jordan wore #23 . . . and he was hoping it might be the "greatest of all time." Let's be honest, MJ was the greatest Number 23 in any sport!

2.  That grower is 43-year-old Travis Gienger.  (GING-grr)  He teaches horticulture at Anoka Technical College near Minneapolis, and he's been growing pumpkins since he was a teenager.  He also broke the American record last year with a 2,560-pound pumpkin.  (Here's another photo of him.) 

3.  The payout is $9 a pound.  So he sold it for just under $25,000.  That would only net him around 10 grand, because it cost $15,000 to grow.  But he got an extra 30 grand for breaking the record.  So he made about $40,000.

4.  This was the 50th world championship.  The first was in 1974, when the winning pumpkin weighed just 132 pounds.  So this one was 20 times bigger than that.  They had to upgrade their scale this year just to weigh it.

5.  The pumpkins we use for jack-o-lanterns are around 10 pounds.  So it's like 275 of those, and could make at least 687 pumpkin pies.

It's also about as heavy as a walrus . . . a hippopotamus . . . or a Mazda Miata with two ACTUAL Michael Jordans sitting in it.

I've never been good at carving pumpkins, but I definitely like decorating them!  I am always searching the internet for fun DIY project ideas that won't leave too much of a mess, or leave me bloodied from a carking knife. That's why I thought these ideas would be good for your family, too!

I was driving with my mother in New Hampshire and we passed a church in Portsmouth that had hundreds of pumpkins in the parking lot. Every fall my mom lets my sister and I pick out a pumpkin to bring back to the house. Yes, I know we are in our 30's, but it's been a cute tradition for many years and somehow it still continues today.

When I do finally pick out my pumpkin, I usually carve it as simply as possible. I don't own any pumpkin carking tools, so I use whatever good knife I have in my drawer and I create my masterpiece from there.

Truthfully, my favorite part is scooping out the seeds and squishing my fingers in the slime. I take out all of the seeds, wash them in a strainer and lay them down on a baking sheet. I spray some coconut oil on them, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and bake them in the oven until they're golden brown. Then I eat them by the handful until they're gone. (Recipe here).

There's something genuinely heartwarming about sitting around with loved ones, sharing laughter and creativity. Decorating pumpkins is not just about the end product but about the journey, the shared moments, and the stories that unfold.

The best part? There's no right or wrong. Whether your pumpkin turns out to be a spooky masterpiece or a glittery splendor, the memories you make in the process are the true treasures. So, gather your family, a couple of pumpkins, and let the decorating games begin!

And guess what? It doesn't have to be tricky or spooky! I've gathered some easy DIY pumpkin decorating ideas for you and your family to try out.

This is the style that I still do today. In fact, it might be the only way I know how to carve a pumpkin because you don't need a ton of tools to cut the triangles and mouth. You just need one knife. This is a classic and traditional carved pumpkin look!

The days of using a knife are OVER. Just get a power grill, and use a few different-sized drill bits to create your masterpiece. And definitely put a candle in there afterwards because it will look like a disco ball! Parents- you can even drill your kids' names and they'll think it's SO cool.

This pumpkin calls for dry ice to give it the totally spooky feel. But of course, it will look just as scary if you don't use it! If you decide to use dry ice, make sure you have adult supervision and use a pair of tongs with gloves. Dry ice should never touch your skin.

If you feel like going with a medieval vibe, or if you are a little more fancy, velvet-covered pumpkins seem like a good fit for your family. It doesn't seem difficult to do either! And it will have your neighbors saying, "Wow, look what you've done to the place!"

If you have kids, painting pumpkins is definitely the safest options. There are no knives, drill bits, or dry ice involved. Just kid-friendly paint. This is a good opportunity to see how creative your kids are and teach them about mixing colors. Just don't put the pumpkins in the rain or you'll have to explain why the paint washed away.

Maybe you are a sewer like me and you have a LOT of fabric at the house. This would be a perfect time to use it. If you don't have some at the house, you can find cheap fabric in the remnant section of Joann's Fabric or Hobby Lobby, and pre-cut yards at Wal-Mart. Wherever you find it, this is a fun project if you don't want to use a knife.

Clover is usually used as a spice in apple cider, but in this case you can just put it right into the face of the pumpkin. That means your pumpkin will make your home smell like a spiced apple cider donut. Yummy, I can picture it already!