National Pumpkin Day is celebrated on Oct. 26, and the Norman and OU communities are filled with pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin patches and jack-o'-lanterns.
For those looking to celebrate the fall staple, McFarlin United Methodist Church in Norman’s university district hosts a yearly pumpkin patch on its ground and invites the community to engage with each other, while raising money for their music program.
Pumpkin patch coordinator Stephen Wurst said the pumpkin patch started as a fundraiser in 1991 for the church’s adult choir but it now supports the music program.
“It's become kind of a Norman tradition in this area,” Wurst told OU Daily. “Some people grew up coming to this pumpkin patch as a child and now are bringing their own children.”
For Wurst, the pumpkin symbolizes the harvest and upcoming seasons that help bring communities together.
“We're getting ready to celebrate all these holidays, like Halloween and Thanksgiving,” Wurst said. “(The pumpkin patch) makes them involved by different generations all interacting and coming together.”
First cultivated in Central America over 7,500 years ago, pumpkins were small, hard and bitter. They were valued for their cold-resistant thick skin and flesh, according to an article by PBS Food.
The oldest evidence of cultivated pumpkins comes from the Oaxaca Highlands of Mexico. By replanting seeds from the most palatable gourds of the harvest, humans domesticated pumpkins over time to become the fleshy and tasteful species of today.
A common use of pumpkins today, jack-o'-lanterns first appeared in the U.S. in the late 19th century, a tradition carried over by Irish immigrants.
According to Britannica, Irish myth tells the tale of an evil spirit called “Stingy Jack,” who was forced to roam earth for eternity as punishment for having “tricked the devil for his own monetary gain.”
To ward off Stingy Jack and other spirits, it was Irish tradition to carve faces in turnips and set them outside their homes.
Irish immigrants to the U.S. used pumpkins to continue the tradition, which developed into the jack-o'-lanterns of today.
Pumpkins are used in a variety of baked goods and drinks, usually paired with the wildly popular pumpkin spice. The pumpkin spice blend is centuries old, but much of its contemporary popularity comes through coffee shops.
According to a recipe on The Washington Post, the blend consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves. It was first called pumpkin spice in advertisements by McCormick and Company in 1934, when it was marketed toward home bakers during the holidays.
In fall of 2003, pumpkin spice was popularized in coffee shops by the Starbucks coffee franchise. In 2007, pumpkin spice was picked up by Dunkin’ Donuts.
From pumpkin spice lattes to the nutty pumpkin donut, Dunkin’ Donuts has been finding ways to embrace the flavorful spice for over a decade.
Dunkin’ Donuts Manager Danielle Feastemaker has been working at the Robinson Street location for a little over a year. Feastemaker said that pumpkin spice is entwined with her idea of fall.
“It is a comforting type of beverage flavor,” Feastemaker told the OU Daily. “Pumpkin spice embraces the seasons that we all look forward to.”
Pumpkin harvesting occurs during the months of September and October, fitting for a historical symbol of autumn. Marking the beginning of one of the most beloved times of the year, intertwined with food, drinks and family activities.
The McFarlin United Methodist Church pumpkin patch opened early in October and will run through the end of the month. The patch is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Sooner Bloomer sells pumpkins at the Sooner Mall 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
This story was edited by Emma Blakley and Karoline Leonard. Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
