Samantha Stetzer/Winonan

There are a variety of fruits and vegetables ripe this time of the year, quite a few of them popular, such as apples, squash and corn. But one of them stands at a higher  (or rounder) profile.

Of all the season’s produce, this time of year, some say the pumpkin goes from a seasonal treat to an epidemic.

Pumpkin shirts. Pumpkin costumes. Pumpkin decorations. Pumpkin chili.  Everything revolves around this orange gourd.

So, why pumpkins? Part of their appeal is seasonal. They are used for jack-o-lanterns and cut-out cookies. Some people paint them and use them as decoration in their house, while others cut off the top, carve it out and use it as a vase.

Long gone are the days of simple jack-o-lanterns, with misshapen teeth and triangle eyes. Now people carve vampires, monsters and even haunted mansions on their pumpkins. They paint them, put glitter on them and make little people out of them.

However, there are some people, including student Amber Schones, who do not notice the over appearance of pumpkins.

“I rarely notice pumpkins during the fall, but I like them. And I like to eat the seeds,” Schones said.

Nowadays, it’s getting harder and harder to ignore. Want some pumpkin on your bagel in the morning? Try some pumpkin spice cream cheese. Feeling a little parched? Try a pumpkin spice latte, or perhaps just drink pumpkin juice, a concoction inspired by Harry Potter and sold in bottles with pumpkin-shaped stoppers.

How about something salty? You can make some pumpkin garlic knots. Or you can even try to make some pumpkin sauce to put on anything your little taste buds crave. Even Winona’s own Mugby Junction changes its menu for the fall, just to accommodate the pumpkin aficionados.

When it comes to the bevy of pumpkin-flavored culinary creations, according to freshman Karisa Hanson, there is such a thing as too much.

“I feel like it is a little overdone,” Hanson said. “Carving them is enough, we don’t have to have them with every meal.”

Others, such as freshman Chitshia Chang, are ready for whatever the gourd has to offer.

“I like the use of pumpkins for fall. It’s beautiful, decorative and it’s always been used for this time of the year,” Chang said.

“The use of pumpkins has become a tradition in the fall, and I hope it stays that way for futures to come.”

Contact Samantha at [email protected]