Nothing says fall like pumpkin patches. The above lot is in the shopping center at the southwest corner of the junction of Highways 150 and 68 in Oak Ridge. Another great place to purchase pumpkins is from church youth organizations. Churches all over Greensboro are selling pumpkins. We have always had luck finding colorful gourds at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church. Earlier in the season, Fresh Market had some white ones. Most grocery stores have a great selection, too.
Regardless of where you decide to get your pumpkins, one of the best things to do with children is to make your family purchases from the same pumpkin patch every year. That act of returning to the same place gives children a sense of tradition. Children often notice and remember things that often elude adults. Overheard in the above patch yesterday, "Mommy, the pumpkins seem so orange this year. Can we get one for every member of the family? The baby, too?"
Pumpkins, as with most varieties of squash, are native to North America. They are thought to have originated here as pumpkin seeds from between 7000 and 5500BC were found in Mexico (reference). North Carolina is not one of the top pumpkin producing states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have that distinction. Whether they were grown in North Carolina or not, we sure do love seeing them in the fall.
They sold pumpkins in my local grocery store this week, don't think I have seen that before.
Posted by: Stefan Jansson | Monday, October 21, 2013 at 07:01 AM
That's a LOT of pumpkins, I hope they all find homes...
Posted by: Madge @ The View From Right Here | Monday, October 21, 2013 at 05:08 PM