You know it's fall when twilight starts happening at 5, leaves are falling and the smell of pumpkin is in the air. Whether your picking a pumpkin for cooking purposes, decorations or building jack-o'lanterns, here's some tips on picking the best one from Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Steve Reiners, professor at the School of Integrative Plant Science says it was both a good and bad year for pumpkin growers.

Our wet spring and early summer made life difficult for New York pumpkins and the farmers that grow them. Some fields were planted very late and the rains caused huge challenges with plant diseases. Luckily, our beautiful warm and dry late summer produced the perfect conditions to ripen what has turned into a fantastic crop.

Reiners adds that while the "quality is great this year," the quantity may be less.  So don't wait to pick out the one you want, it should easily last until Halloween.

  • Look for ones that have a nice sturdy stem. If the stem is soft, it could indicate that the pumpkin is prone to rotting.
  • Hard bruises are usually okay, but stay away from fruits that have soft spots.
  • A pumpkin will continue to ripen once harvested, so it’s fine to choose one that is not fully ripe.
  • Try to keep them from freezing to enhance its storage life.
  • If you plan to make a Jack-o’-lantern, wait to cut it until a few days before Halloween. Once cut, the pumpkin will only last several days.”

More From Big Frog 104