In Sigüilá, San Juan Ostuncalco, there is a farm where farmers grow pumpkins, whose seed is of American origin. (Free Press Photo: Mynor Toc)
14 kilometers from the city of Quetzaltenango, in the village of Sigüilá, San Juan Ostuncalco, there is a farm where farmers from May to September they grow pumpkins, whose seed is of American origin.
The harvest of the fruit is from September to October and coincides with Halloween Day and in Guatemala with the Day of the Saints.
In 2014, husband and wife Marco Antonio and Antonia Cóbar planted the first pumpkin seeds that they brought from California, United States, that year, from the first bush they harvested three pumpkins.
However, the couple, instead of abandoning the undertaking, each year insists on cultivating the fruit in Sigüilá. To date, the harvest produces around 150 quintals.
Currently, the cultivation and harvest of the pumpkin, also called Cucurbita, is in charge of Nolvin García, his brothers and mother, who during April and May they bury the seeds they bring from the United States.
The cold of the altiplano and the rain contribute to germination and for the fruit to reach maturity, the weather must be perfect, with moderate rainfall and not too hot temperatures.
However, this year, heavy rain caused hundreds of pumpkins were lost due to excess moisture.
In 2019, farmers harvested one hectare of crops, in 2020 and 2021 lThe pandemic forced them to stop planting and this year they only grew five cuerdas.
Most of the pumpkins grown are exported to El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica and the rest of the harvest is sold in local markets and Quetzaltenango.
The pumpkin harvest news attracted like dozens of people who came to the farm to buy their pumpkinssome to prepare food, others to elaborate the lantern traditions of Halloween, known as jack-o’-lanterns.
Silvia Saquich and Fernando Gálvez visited the farm for the first time and were surprised by the surroundings and the countryside they found near Quetzaltenango. “It is a beautiful place, very quiet and naturalSaquich explained.
“It is the first time that I have a pumpkin in my handsI came with my girlfriend, a friend and my pet, this place is off the charts”, explained Gálvez.
The pumpkin is sold by the pound, each pound costs Q12. The Garcia family offers visitors bagged pumpkin pie and puree.
