JORDAN, Minn. — At Ferguson's Minnesota Harvest in Jordan, there are around 400,000 apple trees. The Ferguson family acquired the business in 2022 and says around 30,000 pumpkins are also grown each year.
Out of all of the pumpkins available Friday, visitor Luanne Roban went straight for the unique-looking ones.
"I got some really little ones, oh, they're so precious," Roban told KARE 11. "Yeah, this is the warty one."
She pulled them out of her bag one by one.
"It's like a flower," she said. "Look at this. Look at this."
Co-owner Andy Ferguson said up to 40% of the pumpkins are imperfect, and they were intentionally planted that way throughout the 300-acre orchard and farm.
"That's actually how it's supposed to be, with its raised skin," he said of the warty ones, which are also called goblin pumpkins. "This would be a pastel, Cinderella type pumpkin. A lot flatter. Some people call them stackers, too."
And while traditional pumpkins remain popular, Roban isn't alone in her flair. Some call it the "ugly pumpkin trend."
"I think it's kind of like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree trend where I think people just want to stand out," Ferguson said. "Every year it's getting more and more popular."
Pumpkins come in different shapes, textures and sizes. Perhaps there's a lesson to be learned here.
"We're big with Spookley the Square Pumpkin, which is a popular children's character that promotes anti-bullying themes, and I think there's kind of that theme with the pumpkins itself," Ferguson said. "If every pumpkin looked the same, that wouldn't be very exciting."
Minnesota students are currently on break for the annual MEA Conference weekend, and many families were out visiting Friday. Ferguson said they get around 10,000 people a day. There are also hundreds of employees each fall.
"I think I like the green one," Eden Prairie resident Andrew Junker told KARE while holding 2-month-old Emma.
"This is definitely her first time," he said, chuckling.
Surprisingly, it was also Roban's first time visiting an apple orchard.
"We went to a grocery store and every pumpkin was the same size, I couldn't believe it," she said. "One size fits all I guess!"
Pretty or ugly, pumpkin pricing depends on weight. Small pumpkins cost $4 while large pumpkins cost $5. Admission varies based on activity.
There are four Ferguson’s Orchards locations across Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Jordan location was voted best apple orchard in the 2024 Minnesota Parent Family Favorites Awards. Aamodt’s Apple Farm in Stillwater earned second place and Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake earned third. More than 70,000 votes were cast, according to the Minnesota Parent website.