Enough with the Fumpkins

When I say Fumpkins, I mean fake pumpkins. And with fall fast approaching this is something we need to talk about. You may find this a silly topic, but it is so much more than a made up word.

Y’all, farmers work hard all year round. They work 14 hour plus days to plant, grow, and harvest countless foods that end up on our tables. Including pumpkins.

If you’ve been in any grocery store lately you have likely noticed heaping piles of pumpkins of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. And chances are they’re not too expensive either. Trader Joe’s sells them for $5.99 a piece. You can do so many things with these pumpkins. You can make pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, roast the seeds, carve the outside, use it as a decoration or a photo prop. The list goes on. And the best part about it is, you’re putting the farmers hard work to good use.

So with all of the above knowledge, why do people continue to buy shiny plastic pumpkins at Michaels that look tacky and serve to be wasteful. Why not head to Safeway or Raley’s or Trader Joe’s and grab yourself a real one.

Americans spend unreal amounts of money on seasonal decor every year. And a lot of it is unfortunately cheaply made and thrown away after only one or two uses. This contributes to the growing piles of garbage we have to deal with on our planet.

We need to start being more conscious of all of the products we use, but especially so as the holiday season approaches. There are so many ways to be environmentally friendly this fall. Pumpkins are a great start to this initiative. They are purposeful and can be used until Thanksgiving comes our way. And on top of our real pumpkins, harvested from local hard working farmers, let’s talk about Thanksgiving dinner.

We can buy most of what we need from a local farmer’s market, supporting those in our area working hard to provide for their community. And we can use that old set of family china to eat it off of while we’re at it to save the use of paper plates. A sink full of dishes never hurt anyone right?

I think it’s so important to keep the environment and how to help it fresh at the front of our minds. We as Americans need to come together to figure out small ways that we can all make an impact. Just think if every household were to buy real pumpkins this year instead of plastic ones how much we would be able to help out farmers and how much plastic we would save.

And if all the above hasn’t yet convinced you to get your pumpkins homegrown then maybe this will. There are dozens of pumpkin patches in and around town that offer a great experience. You can get fresh pressed apple cider, take photos, visit the petting zoo and so much more. It’s educational for children and fun for all ages. To list a few there is Books Family Farm, TJ Farms, Bishop’s Family Pumpkin farm and many more.

So this year I challenge you to purchase real pumpkins for your porch and find something creative to do with them when you’re done. You never know what you’ll be able to come up with.