Is it just me or are all these pumpkin-flavored foods and drinks getting a little obnoxious?

Coffee, coffee creamer, tea, muffins, cereal, ice cream, soda, vodka, beer, yogurt, potato chips, doughnuts, cream cheese, energy bars. The list goes on and on… far beyond the lovable, old fall pumpkin patch.

Pumpkins used to signify the beginning of autumn but now it seems like all these products signify the beginning of pumpkin food and drink marketing campaigns. Everywhere you look, pumpkin this, pumpkin that!

Now don’t get me wrong, some of these products are actually tasty — especially a locally-made homemade muffin, doughnut or ice cream from the ice cream stand. It’s just that collectively, the whole thing is a bit much. You see, I just feel much more connected to the local flavor of New England than Madison Avenue. I just don’t get “gourd” vibrations with all the mass-produced pumpkin spice products. Especially when they start appearing at the end of July. Oh please, spare me!

So, here in New England give me a picturesque pumpkin patch at a local farm like this scene at Phantom Farms in Cumberland, R.I. that warms my autumn heart every year…

And give me a chance to put a jack-o-lantern on the front porch, as well as eating some traditional pumpkin pie. That’s all I need in my old school New England heart. How about you?

Although walking into the local doughnut shop, that pumpkin spice muffin behind the counter doesn’t sound like a bad idea!

Additional reading
Taking in fall colors at Walden Pond in Concord, Mass.
Enjoying an autumn walk around Rocky Woods in Medfield, Mass.
Finding the best apple picking farms in New England
Read about the best fall travel destinations in New England
Special times at Red Apple Farm, Phillipston, Mass.
5 underrated fall destinations in New England

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