Apples vs. Pumpkins

BY BROOKE TAN '26

When the temperature drops out of the blue and fall deals come running to your front door, you know that it’s time for warm fall flavors to pop up. With seasonal fall festivities like apple and pumpkin picking, both fruits’ popularities increase exponentially. Still, pumpkins rightfully deserve the spotlight for being the better fruit.

What better way to start the fall season than by picking the perfect plump pumpkin for your porch? Just how colorful leaves decorate our backyards, pumpkins are a must for feeling the fall vibes. Stores like Bath and Body Works dive into incorporating pumpkins into scents like candles and soaps for the positive fall spirit. The first thing one thinks when seeing a pumpkin is fall, though you cannot shower your house with apples or carve a waggish face for an apple. Pumpkins symbolize abundance, prosperity, and happiness in American farms and during harvest time, and ward evil spirits away when they sit at night. Varieties of tasty dishes combine pumpkin, from soups to desserts. The taste of pumpkin brings everybody together and can be the perfect family gathering for dinners and holidays. Behold the wisdom of pumpkins, as it is one of the oldest domesticated plants on this very Earth. An American studies professor at Saint Louis University and their archaeological and botanical evidence suggest that the cultivation of pumpkins goes as far back as 10,000 B.C. The ancient vines of pumpkins are rooted in our past, too!

Pumpkins come out prime during fall for a reason; they are strictly seasonal, so they deserve their time to shine. Iconic pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks are the most popular drink that many anticipate for a limited time only in the fall season, Social media analytics company Sprout Social found that pumpkin is still the most trendy fall flavor, notwithstanding the new Apple Crisp Macchiato released in 2021. Apple juice is no matchup for a widespread seasonal drink. While apple cider is also a fall-time staple, in the last decade, pumpkins' popularity has overtaken apples. Pumpkin patches begin opening in early September, while your local supermarket supplies apples year-round. 

Additionally, pumpkins associate heavily with the fall holiday, Halloween, when the pumpkins become alive with their playful lit-up faces. If you have ever stepped out on Trick-Or-Treat night, every house on the block that acknowledges Halloween has at least a pumpkin on its property. (analysis supporting claim needed).
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As fat as the full moon, pumpkins are a magical symbol of fall that sits and radiates through the cold nights of October. Though apples are a classic, pumpkins are the "limited edition" orange fruit that stays true to the autumn season. And let's be honest, nothing feels better than sinking your teeth into a delectable pumpkin pie.