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Should you buy an organic pumpkin for Halloween?

by Jennifer on October 2nd, 2008

Organic pumpkins usually cost more than conventional, so if you’ve got a bunch of little spooks at your house, buying organic this Halloween could end up costing you a pretty penny. That’s the downside of organic pumpkins.

The upside of organic pumpkins include:

• Support of organic agriculture and the ongoing good health of farmers and farmworkers.
• Support for healthy rivers, soil, streams, rivers, air, and so on.
• Support of other plants: “Two of the major herbicides used in pumpkins, clomazone and ethalfluralin, have either the potential to injure the crop being grown or cause severe injury to non-target plants.” Source.
• Support for reduced overall pesticides. Some sources note that if all pumpkin farms went organic, it would cut out about 400,000 pounds of toxic chemicals a year.

Weighing the costs: 

Here’s my take; pumpkins are not the only non-organic crop grown, obviously. If you can’t afford all organic, pumpkins may be one item that you should choose to buy conventional. Pumpkins are loaded with chemicals, so it’s something to consider, however, they’re not one of the top danger items among conventional foods. If you only have so many dollars to spend on organic, I’d go with other food items. Even if you’re going to eat the seeds and make pies, pumpkins pose fewer health threats than some other crops; like apples or peppers for instance.

Your other option is to limit other areas in order to be able to afford a locally grown, organic pumpkin. For example, you don’t need to buy Halloween decor, you can make it all yourself, using recycled supplies. You can also reuse your decorations from last year. You can also give out fewer treats, or cut out treats all together and throw a potluck style Halloween party. There are almost always ways you can cut costs elsewhere in order to afford a green holiday.

After weighing the options, what are your plans for this year’s pumpkins? 

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POSTED IN: Health & Wellness, Holiday, Organic Food & Drink