Whether you want a mug, tealight holder or fidget spinners, all are available with a pumpkin theme. Festivals are dedicated to the orange fruit, and there are countless recipes to try. Why are they suddenly October’s overlords?I’m in a field in Pontefract watching a masked, miniature Spider-Man clamber through a heart-shaped pumpkin arch as his dad, in a pumpkin bucket hat, takes pics. To my left, a family in russet, pumpkin-themed knitwear queue for their turn on a plaid-blanket-draped bench beneath a Hello Pumpkin sign; to my right, a dutiful Instagram boyfriend captures his partner – wellies, impeccable ’fit and killer pout – in front of a Chevy truck full of pale-yellow squashes.The fields beyond are dotted with orange orbs. People walk among them with wheelbarrows, silhouetted against the sun, like figures from a Millet painting as they bend to examine promising specimens; toddlers stagger around with pumpkins bigger than they are. As I stare, an orange-faced scarecrow with a pretty intense energy comes and compliments my husband on his orange jacket, then chides me for not dressing up. “Not all witches wear green and have pointy hats,” he says, then picks my husband up like a giant pumpkin and urges me to take a picture. Continue reading...