Why bumper pumpkin and apple crops are good news for Halloween fans
Ducking for apples is a Halloween tradition that could get a new lease of life this year
With just over a month to go, there’s some good news for fans of Halloween. For while some farmers have been complaining about floods, droughts and so on over the last two years, the strange weather has apparently created just the right growing conditions for pumpkins and apples.
Traditionalists may object to pumpkins being turned into scary-faced lanterns when there are perfectly good Scottish turnips available to do the job (and if the actual carving takes a bit more effort and elbow grease, well then the achievement is surely all the greater).
However, they can take heart from the bumper crop of apples, which should provide an extra incentive to ditch the recent, somewhat regrettable trend for American-style “trick or treating” in favour of more ‘wholesome’ Halloween fun – dooking for apples.
And, with the Royal Horticultural Society reporting more than 500 apples being sent to its fruit identification service in this month alone, if the kids object, you can add an extra layer of mystery by challenging them to identify the variety of apple they have picked. Fun for all the family!
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