Pumpkin patches have become an icon of pop culture today. Teenaged girls tweet and make statuses about how they just want to go on a pumpkin patch date. Families bring their children to pick out a pumpkin and play on the attractions that come with it. Not only these things, but the pumpkin industry has boomed within the last few years. Starbucks came out with the Pumpkin Spice Latte, which skyrocketed in popularity. According to a rough estimate from an online Forbes article, Starbucks sells 20 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes a year and makes about $80 million a year from them. (http://www.forbes.com//)
Now, if you were to visit your local grocery store, you would find pumpkin flavored granola bars, muffins, cookies, frosting, ice cream, smoothies, bread, chapstick and much more. The pumpkin flavor has taken the world by storm. The 2012 overall value of the pumpkin crop was more than $148.9 million, and has certainly gone up with the rising popularity of the vegetable. (http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/vegetables/pumpkins/)
So as you go pick out the perfect pumpkin for carving or you order that Pumpkin Spice Latte, just remember where it came from.
It is bonkers how iconic pumpkin flavoring has been popularized.The rant-like body of this post made me think of one of my favorite stand up comedians bits. I recommend looking up Iliza Shlesinger on girls and pumpkin EVERYTHING! :)
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