Pumpkin Picking

One popular way of celebrating Halloween includes picking pumpkins to display outside of your home. Since most people do not have a pumpkin patch in their yard, this requires going out to farms and sorting through their selection of available pumpkins for purchase. This picture was taken at a farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in October, 2012. Groups of interested folks were driven over to the field and left to inspect and search the patch themselves. The nature of pumpkins leads to a wide variety of sizes and shapes. These factors influence which pumpkin a person will pick, often in an attempt to reflect their personality. For instance, a tall, lanky person might want to pick a long and skinny pumpkin. Practical concerns also influence these decisions, such as a child that physically cannot hold a larger pumpkin might choose a smaller one. Pumpkins are closely associated with Halloween and pumpkin picking has become an American tradition to both usher in the season and obtain a more authentic form of decoration.