Pumpkins are the bookends of autumn. Headlines about the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes signal summer's end. And soon after the last bites of pumpkin pie at the Thanksgiving table, we turn to plans for winter holidays. In between, jack-o'-lanterns are the stars of Halloween.

The seasonal gourds also evoke a romanticized ideal of simpler times, according to Cindy Ott, author of Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon .

"Pumpkins are more popular than ever," Ott, an associate professor of history at the University of Delaware, tells NPR. "People are buying these things, even pumpkin spice lattes, because of these attachments, these very old-fashioned ideas about reverence of the small family farm."

As her comment suggests, it wasn't always like this. Like a gourd growing on

See Full Page