Seasonal & Holidays

White Pumpkins: What To Know Before Visiting Monrovia Patches

For a ghostly jack-o'-lantern, search for a white pumpkin in the fields and patches around Monrovia this fall.

White pumpkins, shown here at a patch in California, have become a more common sight at fields in and near Monrovia every fall. A white jack-o’-lantern may be the best way to give trick-or-treaters a start.
White pumpkins, shown here at a patch in California, have become a more common sight at fields in and near Monrovia every fall. A white jack-o’-lantern may be the best way to give trick-or-treaters a start. (David Allen/Patch)

MONROVIA, CA — Orange is the color that has been most closely associated with Halloween and the pumpkin patch season in Monrovia every fall. But pumpkin enthusiasts have noticed the increasing popularity of white pumpkins as they search local fields for the best of the crop — the perfect choice for a ghostly jack-o’-lantern.

White pumpkins were viewed more as an accident of genetics, or a rare novelty, until the early 21st century, according to several blog posts on the subject. Since around 2000, however, they’ve become a popular sales item as more and more white pumpkins are grown intentionally.

It’s quite possible more than a few of the albino pumpkins, often referred to as ghost pumpkins, will pop up at visits to pumpkin patches and fields this fall in or near Monrovia.

Find out what's happening in Monroviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While the differences between white pumpkins and the traditional orange ones may seem striking at first, there are fewer than many may think.

Both white and orange pumpkins grow on long trailing vines as members of the Cucurbitaceae family, the farmers market app Specialty Produce states.

Find out what's happening in Monroviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The lifestyle blog “New Life on a Homestead” points out that not only are white pumpkins as edible as orange pumpkins, but white pumpkins can also substitute orange pumpkins in nearly all recipes.

The biggest difference, the blog noted, is that some studies have suggested due to their pale coloration, white pumpkins have fewer vitamins than their orange counterparts. There’s not enough research to solidly back up that claim, however, according to the blog.

Some albino pumpkins may have the same amount of vitamin A and other carotenoids, “but it’s likely they have less,” SuperFoodly.com, an Amazon service, noted.


More

Halloween 101: Everything You Need For A Super Festive Front Door

Celebrate the season with ghoulish door knockers, ghostly doormats and much more.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Monrovia