The economics of pumpkin patches
QUEENS COUNTY farm museum is one of the few pastoral corners in New York City. It has an apiary, an orchard, livestock and, in autumn, a pumpkin patch. Parents take photos of their tykes, some dressed as pumpkins, sitting on a mound of pumpkins. Twenty-somethings, hoping not to look like pumpkins, strike poses next to hay bales and post them on Instagram. This meeting of big tech and smallholding might seem as natural as a Clarendon filter. In fact the two go together.
In the 19th century, as people moved away from farms to cities, many felt they had lost their connections to nature. Pumpkins became a symbol for that rural ideal. Americans will still happily drive hours to purchase a fruit (yes it is) that they will not eat. Small towns with no economic ties to the squash host pumpkin festivals and contests. Andy Wolf grows gourds in excess of 2,000lbs (907kg). “We keep track of the genetics like you would a champion racehorse,” he says.
Pumpkin patches are a way for people to maintain connections to rural life, says Cindy Ott, author of “Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon”. The effects are real enough. “The crazy thing is, that the popularity of pumpkin pie and the jack-o-lanterns is helping, has helped to rejuvenate small family farms,” she adds.
2023-10-26 07:35:33
Post from www.economist.com
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