When people think of the fall season, some things that might come to mind are leaves falling and changing colors, Halloween, and pumpkins. One of the most popular activities that takes place during the fall season is pumpkin picking.

As Halloween approaches and trick-or-treating starts, one thing I usually pay attention to is people’s pumpkins that they have set out. People carve pumpkins in all different patterns and designs. Some of the most popular ones include faces with triangle eyes and noses. Some people even get into more details when carving and make little backgrounds.

One newer thing that has become popular is painting pumpkins. If you’re not up for the mess and would rather stay clean from the insides of the pumpkin, you can paint. Painting a pumpkin does not take as long, and you can add more color and creativity to your work.

There are multiple places you can purchase pumpkins in just Harford County. Some are local farms that grow their own and sell them, or you can purchase them in grocery stores like Walmart and Harvest Fair.

Over the years, pumpkin carving has decreased. According to the National Retail Federation, about 44% of Americans plan to carve pumpkins this year. The numbers in the carving have decreased because people have complaints about waste. Billions of pounds of pumpkins take over landfills every year.

However, there are many ways to reduce the amount of waste. When taking apart the pumpkin, you can separate the seeds and put them to the side. Later you can actually cook these seeds and make a little snack out of them.

Another way you can help with waste is to compost leftovers. One thing is that as pumpkins decompose, they release something into the air called methane which is not the best for the environment.