In a strange mystery on the East End, 600 pumpkins were stolen from a Calverton Farm, and the pumpkin robbers left without a trace.
At Rottkamp’s Fox Hollow Farm at 2287 Sound Avenue in Calverton, there are over four acres of pumpkins for visitors to pick from. Authorities believe that the illegal pumpkin pickers stole the pumpkins sometime between September 27 and September 30.
The robbers’ haul is estimated to be worth $4,200.
“Obviously, it’s someone who is selling them,” Det. Timothy Hubbard told The New York Post.
While some farms ship their pumpkins in from other growers, the Rottkamp family grows their pumpkins on a separate 36 acres of land. Smaller pumpkin robberies have been reported from other farms, but the Rottkamps’ case has been the largest on Long Island this season.
The farm offers pumpkin picking every weekend during pumpkin season, and charges $0.55 per pound.
The Rottkamp family has owned the farm since 1967, where they offer fresh produce, as well as roasted corn and a corn maze in the fall. Autumn is a particularly busy season for growers like the family, and brings out a great deal of customers and tourism to the East End.
“Our roads our here are filled with people coming from out west to pick pumpkins and cornstalks. It’s almost like a second season for our farmers out here,” said Hubbard.
Anyone with information on the missing pumpkins is asked to call Riverhead Town police at 631-727-4500 ext. 318.
[Source: The New York Post]