What happened????

Did you notice?  What a bumper crop of beautiful pumpkins this year.  It seems like the last few years there have been a high percentage of misshapen pumpkins, both large and small, at each pumpkin retailer.  Not so this year.  Whether being offered as a jack-o'lantern "model" or a "pie" version, they were picture-perfect!

I didn't see one pumpkin that had the tall, elongated shape similar to the one picture below (and in an earlier post.)   The most notable feature of this pumpkin is the flat spot on the left-hand side.  Almost every pumpkin carving event from my youth included the flat-side attribute.  The biggest decision was whether it was best to carve an elaborate jack-o'lantern face on the flat side or be sure you were carving on the exact opposite side so that you could turn the flat side away from the window when the lit candle was added.

Tall Pumpkin with Vine print- Black ranger ink on tan Strathmore paper

Tall Pumpkin with Vine print- Black ranger ink on gessoed, tan Strathmore paper and color added with Derwent Inktense pencils activated with water

So, my question for those growing pumpkins this season is very basic:  did growers take the time and energy to turn the pumpkins while on the vine, or has a savvy seed company "built" a more resilient version that is not vulnerable to a flat side?

Short Pumpkin with Vine print- Black ranger ink on tan Strathmore paper

Short Pumpkin with Vine print - Black ranger ink on gessoed, tan Strathmore paper and color added with Derwent Inktense pencils activated with water

Just curious - the differences were very visible between this year's pumpkins and those from the past!!