An American phenomenon has to a high degree become a Swedish concern and commercial holiday. When Halloween is celebrated, it happens in an increasing number of Swedish households, especially families with children.
This is also noticeable for Leif Nilsson, who has grown pumpkins on his farm outside Löderup on Österlen for over 30 years.
It was probably in the mid-90s, and it has just increased more and more, says Leif Nilsson about the development.
Last year a disaster
Growing so-called butternut pumpkins was seen as an impossibility in Sweden at the time. Leif Nilsson has tested "hundreds of different varieties" over the years to succeed and achieve success. This year's harvest is estimated to be around 2,000 tons.
Last year was a disaster. Then we didn't get any sun and the pumpkins didn't ripen properly. This year, on the other hand, has been favorable, a typical Swedish summer with just the right amount of rain and otherwise warm and dry.
Leif Nilsson's image of more and more people wanting to celebrate Halloween also matches well with the prognosis of the trade organization Svensk Handel. According to Svensk Handel, 33 percent of the surveyed retailers state that the holiday is crucial for sales, up from 25 percent the previous year.
Total consumption around the holiday is also expected to increase from 1.5 billion to approximately 1.6 billion kronor.
Picked by hand
For Leif Nilsson, the fact that the business has grown so large has also meant that there are about 50 employees who pick pumpkins. There is also one of the challenges.
Everything is picked by hand, and it's hard to find people who want to work with this kind of thing. It's heavy and troublesome. We have to look outside the country's borders, he notes.
Another challenge is to find someone who can be thought to want to take over the business the day he himself wants to stop.
Finally, do you eat pumpkin yourself, or are you thoroughly tired of them?
I like to eat pumpkin, but I'm probably better at growing them than cooking them.
