Why pumpkins became fall icons—and what that says about rural life, food, and culture

Pumpkins are everywhere in autumn—from porches and patches to pies and lattes. But how did this humble squash become America’s favorite fall fruit?

The answer, it turns out, runs deep into the soil of history, rural identity, and agricultural tradition.

🌱 Pumpkins: A Native Legacy

Pumpkins are part of the Cucurbita genus—essentially, they’re a type of squash. And they’ve been part of North American agriculture for thousands of years.

Archaeological evidence suggests pumpkins were first cultivated in Mexico around 7,500 years ago, where Indigenous peoples domesticated wild gourds alongside corn and beans.¹

Early pumpkins were small, bitter, and hard-shelled—but over centuries, they were bred for flavor, color, and size.

Today’s iconic round, orange pumpkins are the product of long-standing Indigenous knowledge, colonial adaptation, and commercial breeding.

🏡 How Pumpkins Became Symbols of Rural America

According to Cindy Ott, food scholar and author of Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon, pumpkins became deeply symbolic in the early 1900s, when American life was rapidly urbanizing.²

At that time:

1. Small farms were shrinking or disappearing
2. People longed for connection to the countryside
3. Fall harvest imagery became nostalgic and idealized

Festivals, parades, and displays helped pumpkin imagery stand in for a romanticized version of rural life—one rooted in tradition, abundance, and homegrown values.

“Pumpkin festivals helped rural communities to survive and to hold on to a rural sense of place.” – Cindy Ott³

By the 1970s, seed catalogs began marketing pumpkins for looks over flavor—valuing bright, glossy orange rinds and uniform shapes perfect for decoration and display.

🎃 Decoration > Nutrition

Despite their long history as a nutritious food, modern pumpkins are overwhelmingly sold for decoration.

1. In 1949, the U.S. produced 72,000 tons of pumpkins
2. By 2007, that figure was over 1.1 million tons
3. And 90% of those were sold for ornamental use rather than food⁴

The rise of the Connecticut field pumpkin as the standard jack-o'-lantern, and the popularity of pumpkin patches as autumn destinations, accelerated this trend.

🚜 What It Means for Farms Today

Pumpkin patches aren’t just pretty—they're often vital income sources for small farms, many of whom operate seasonally or rely on agritourism.

Pumpkins:

1. Help diversify income on small or family farms
2. Draw in visitors who buy additional local goods
3. Provide educational opportunities for kids and schools
4. Support regional identities tied to fall and food traditions

As Ott points out, this cultural meaning has real economic value for rural communities—and helps keep land in agricultural use during a season when many crops are winding down.

🔮 What’s Next for Pumpkins?

At Delve, we believe pumpkins are more than porch decor. They’re part of a broader story about land, food, and community.

We’re curious:

1. Will future pumpkins swing back toward taste over looks?
2. Can patches become hubs for local food learning?
3. How can we make pumpkin celebrations more sustainable?

Every fall, we love seeing your photos from the patch—and hearing what brought you there. Was it the fresh air? The photo ops? The pie? The tradition?

Let us know. And if you want to dig deeper into where your food comes from, we’re here for that, too.

📚 Sources

1. Smithsonian Magazine – Where Did Pumpkins Come From? (2016)
2. Ott, Cindy – Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon (University of Washington Press, 2012)
3. Cindy Ott’s website – cindyott.org
4. USDA Agricultural Census (2007)