“I want to be world champion”: Get to know the ambitious breeder behind Europe’s heaviest pumpkin

Last Sunday, a convoy of giant pumpkins and their growers rolled into the city of Ludwigsburg, Germany.

As part of the world’s largest pumpkin festival, they were there for the annual weigh-in to reveal who had grown the heaviest pumpkin in Europe in 2024.

Belgian Mario Vangeel was crowned champion on October 13th with a colossal performance pumpkin weighing 1,152 kg – about the same as a small car.

Mario was no newcomer to the art of growing giant pumpkins and became Belgian national champion in 2019. He also made headlines in 2021, with a pumpkin that came second to this year’s world record attempt by Italian Stefano Cutrupi.

Still, Mario was surprised to win the title this year. “I was hoping, yes, but I didn’t think I would win,” he tells Euronews Green.

The 50-year-old, who drives tractors full-time for a contracting company, attributes his success to a lucky combination of conditions: “I had a good seed, the plant grew well, it was warm enough and I gave it good fertilizer. “

If you’re curious about what’s inside fertilizer that nurtured Mario’s winning pumpkin, you won’t find the answer here or anywhere else.

“It’s a little secret,” he says mysteriously. “Every producer has their own mix, a few things they do differently.”

The city of pumpkin eaters

It may sound like a niche hobby, but in Mario’s hometown of Kasterlee there is a thriving club of giant pumpkin growers with around 50 members.

This “flood” of local producers is no coincidence. Pumpkin is so much a part of Kasterlee’s heritage that people here are nicknamed “pumpkin eaters.”

“They found papers from the 16th century that said they couldn’t grow much food because of poor land use. But pumpkins have developed very well here,” explains Mario’s wife Bieke, who has also become part of the world of giant pumpkin cultivation thanks to her husband’s commitment to the practice. “And that’s where it started.”

“Obviously they were just small back then. These days the giants need good soil to grow.”

While Mario’s pumpkin bloomed this year, others in Kasterlee weren’t so lucky thanks to some pumpkin eaters of an undesirable variety. “Several breeders struggled with snails,” says Mario. “We think there were a lot more this year wet weather – It rained a lot.”

“Another grower had a very large pumpkin, also more than 1,000 kg. A week before weighing, a snail drilled a small hole in it and it was ready. After a few days it rotted and they couldn’t weigh it anymore.”

“That’s what farmers need to think about next year – how to keep the snails out of the greenhouse.”

Use pumpkins

What happens next for the pumpkins that make it to the competition?

These giant varieties are not bred for their high taste Water Content that reduces taste. Instead of being eaten, the largest specimens are often presented at exhibitions and fairs. And in Kasterlee some of them are put to more creative use.

“The club will use the smaller ones, around 300 or 400 kg, for sailing,” says Bieke. “You’ll row in it.”

She’s referring to the city’s annual pumpkin regatta, which began in 2008 as a collaboration between Kasterlee’s pumpkin and kayak clubs. It now attracts hundreds of participants, who go into the water in hollowed-out pumpkins, and around 5,000 spectators.

This year’s race takes place on October 27th and there are even international participants – teams from Spain and England will be at the start.

Sailboats may be an appropriate use for these giant pumpkins, but most of us will be more likely to encounter varieties marketed for Halloween carving this fall.

Although carving is a fun tradition, it creates a tremendous amount of food waste. This was the result of a survey by the British environmental organization Hubbub in 2023 15.8 million pumpkins would remain uneaten.

In contrast to the giant varieties, regular pumpkins are perfect for cooking. Hubbub recommends decorating the outside of your pumpkin instead of carving it so you can eat the flesh when the festivities are over.

The Vangeels live up to their reputation as “pumpkin eaters” and have a few recipe suggestions for anyone who wants to make the most of it the vegetable in the kitchen.

For Mario, it’s all about a classic. “We eat a lot of pumpkin soup,” he laughs. “It’s really simple, it’s basically just onions and curry powder.”

Bieke also recommends spaghetti squash, in which you roast the vegetable until soft and then use a fork to form spaghetti-like strands from the flesh.

World record ambitions

If the question comes up as to whether Mario will take part in the European Championships again next year, it’s a resounding yes. And he has set his sights beyond Europe. “I want to become world champion one day – it’s a dream to break the record,” he reveals.

This year’s pumpkin almost reached the Belgian national record of his compatriot Mathias Willemijns, which is 1,190 kg. The current world record that he wants to beat is 1,296 kg and has been held by American Travis Gienger since 2023.

“It started as a hobby but has become something of a hobby sport. I want to continue growing bigger pumpkins every year,” says the Belgian challenger.

Mario may be looking forward to future seasons, but Bieke is just glad this one is over.

“He’s almost out there sleeping with that pumpkin,” she jokes. “It gets lots of love and kisses, and now I’m glad the kisses are back for me.”