157.5-pound pumpkin breaks NYS record

At a seasonal weigh-off of the New York State Giant Pumpkin Growers Association, Karl Haist of Clarence Center, NY broke the previous New York State Record of 155 pounds with a field pumpkin weighing in at 157.5 lbs. That’s not to mention the 1,490-pound gourd the same guy grew, which took first in the giant pumpkin class.

Haist won out over 20 growers who brought their biggest pumpkins to be admired and forklifted around at the first such event held in Bethel, New York.

If like us and you’re not sure what the difference is: field pumpkins are the kind normally used as jack o’lanterns and are bred more for flavor than size, whereas giant pumpkins are behemoths bred exclusively for size and not normally eaten.