“They represent abundance, protection and rebirth.”
CAÑON CITY, Colorado — On a 5,300-foot elevation on the northside of the Arkansas River lies a four-hectare pumpkin and corn maze in Freemont County in this “Climate Capital of Colorado.”
This city is only 186 kilometers from the state capital of Denver, about the distance of Manila and Urdaneta City in Pangasinan.
One of around 40 such patches throughout the United States, the biggest being in Illinois, pumpkins are seen as symbols of fertility, prosperity, transformation and growth — they can produce several food items from a single seed.
The pumpkin in the United States is essentially the same as squash in the Philippines, called kalabasa in Metro Manila and Tagalog-speaking provinces and karabasa among Ilokanos north and south of Manila.
Our guide, who has lived in this state for well over a decade, says pumpkins, abundant at the Diana’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze, hold cultural and spiritual significance “which represent abundance, protection and rebirth.”
Pumpkins have usually symbolized autumn or fall and have been depicted as an emblem of the American nation of more than 333 million people, with 4.5 Filipino Americans, making them the second largest Asian ethnic group after Chinese, according to the US Census Bureau.
These have become traditional part of Thanksgiving meals in the United States and Canada.
One Sunday, we were brought to the pumpkin patch here, a wide garden of orange-colored pumpkins, although there were other colors like white, red and blue depending on the variety, where they are planted and sold.
Pumpkin patches, which tap into a powerful American tradition and symbolize the pre-market, rustic past of American farmers, also sell other items like decorative gourds, sunflowers and carving tools.
Pumpkins are planted in May because they require a long period of growing them, with 75 to 100 days of no frost.
At Diana’s, children, including toddlers, were brought along where the younger generation — some of them playing on the slides — had a hands-on way to connect with the environment and foster a deeper appreciation for nature.
We saw families entering the pumpkin patch, in the words of one, “to experience what it’s like to celebrate the autumn season and pumpkin harvests” — the patches becoming a place for families, friends and communities to socialize and chat.
We learned Native American tribes like the Navajo and Iroquois used a farming technique called the “Three Sisters” to maximize space and increase crop yields.
This technique, also called companion planting, involved planting corn, beans and squash together, taking advantage of the plants’ characteristics to support each other’s growth — much like intercropping practiced by Filipinos.
That Sunday we were brought to the patch, initially a family business founded in 2011, gave us an eight-minute ride in one of two tractor trailers driven by 71-year-old Steve Guntli, a retiree from the gold mines but found himself for the past three falls driving a trailer on the dusty road in between thick patches of corn stalks.
Open to the public on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the patch during other days of the week is by appointment for groups of 15 plus.
The maze, according to our guide, is always fun during the night, when visitors are encouraged to bring flashlights to find their way in the maze in the dark — there are no admissions past 8.30 pm.
The hay ride does not run after 6 pm, although we understood the fire pit — a few in the middle of the patches — would be on.
Any visitor, who pays $15 at the entrance to get the identity bracelet, can pick his perfect Jack-O-Lantern from the smallest to the largest in the pumpkin field although the specialty is the Big Pumpkin that can still be carved.
There are other large pumpkins with thick green stems, and the cute Jack-Be-Little pumpkins and Sugar Pie pumpkins for the special pumpkin pie.
While the farm hands grow a new variety every year, the supply is dictated by their produce and the owners are weather sensitive since an early snow or frost can damage the pumpkin field.
We were told the pumpkins represent a major part of fall traditions, acting as a key contributor to agritourism by bringing people ironically called local farms in an urban setting and supporting local economies and providing a hands-on experience for families to connect with the harvest season.
It is a very American tradition to visit a pumpkin patch every autumn although more and more families are now visiting make-shift patches on street corners or getting pumpkins from the local grocery.
Every part of the versatile pumpkin was used for the survival of America’s earliest ancestors, the rind, flesh, seeds and flowers all consumed or used in some way.
According to our guide, a visit to a pumpkin patch can teach children as regards the life of pumpkins, how they grow on a vine, the different varieties, the concept of harvesting, basic math skills by weighing pumpkins while fostering independence by letting them pick their own calabaza squash.
A visit can also provide opportunities to develop motor skills through pumpkin carving and social skills by interacting with others in a fun and seasonal backdrop.
Pumpkins, we were told, were a staple food for early American farmers because they could grow in different climates and were easier to cultivate than European crops and were used in many dishes, including pies, puddings and stewed pumpkin mixed with corn meal for bread.
