- Autumn is the strangest season.

The US harvests 500 million pounds of a food we have no intention of eating.

Our colonial forefathers would be horrified.

This is a food they survived on during their first American winters.

Can you guess it?

It's pumpkin, but how does it grow?

(upbeat guitar music) Half of all US pumpkins are grown for decoration.

The other half becomes canned puree, most of it destined for pumpkin pies.

This is Duffield's Farm, where 50 acres grow nearly as many kinds of pumpkins, squash and gourds.

Okay, so let's clear something up.

The word pumpkin has no botanical meaning.

We use it to refer to an orange squash in the Cucurbita family, which covers all winter and summer squash, from butternut to zucchini.

Can you think of any other crop that comes in so many shapes, colors and sizes?

Pumpkins are native to the Americas.

In the 1600s, American Indians taught the Pilgrims how to grow pumpkins, a food they'd never seen before but came to rely on for their survival.

It's staggering that this little seed can grow into a massive pumpkin like this.

In fact, the world record holder weighed over 3,000 pounds.

At Duffield's, pumpkin seeds are planted in June for an October harvest.

When the new vines flower, bees are brought in to pollinate the fields.

The farmers' worst enemy is powdery mildew.

This fungus spreads like wildfire, killing leaves and in turn, the plants.

Keeping this canopy of leaves healthy is crucial for shade.

If pumpkins are exposed to too much sun, their beautiful orange color fades to yellow, and since we buy pumpkins for their looks, these farmers can't sell them.

When the pumpkins are ripe, harvesters work together, cutting the fruit by hand.

And yes, it is a fruit.

- During the growing scene, we do not walk out on our vines.

We don't wanna damage the crop or ruin the vines, so we wait till harvest to see what pumpkins we have.

We have no idea until harvest.

- Alright, show me how to do it.

(grunts) (laughs) The race is on.

Sorry!

Now get this.

If Duffield's wanted to sell these pumpkins for processing, they wouldn't make it past the factory door because the truth is, canned pumpkin isn't pumpkin at all, at least not the kind you think.

Our classic Halloween pumpkin is bred for looks, not taste, so its flavor is pretty bland.

There's not even much flesh.

The hollow core is a tangle of fibers and seeds.

The canning companies use a totally different pumpkin, with tan skin and lots of meat.

These are great pie pumpkins, and it just goes to show that the tastiest foods don't always look how you think they should.