If you’re planning to carve a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween, sip a pumpkin spice latte, or bake a pie for your Thanksgiving table, chances are your pumpkin had its start right here in Illinois.

Illinois continues to lead the nation in pumpkin production, and according to the USDA, farmers harvested a little over 485 million pounds of pumpkins in 2024. The Illinois Farm Bureau notes that the state grows more pumpkins than anywhere else in the world, with 90 to 95 percent of pumpkins used for processing grown here.

Much of that work happens in Morton, Illinois, known as the Pumpkin Capital of the World, where over 85 percent of the world’s canned pumpkin is processed.

This year’s harvest began at the end of August and will continue through early November, filling farms, fields, and patches with pumpkins to be picked and enjoyed.

Be sure to stop by your local pumpkin patch and grab a pumpkin or two to celebrate the spooky season. To find a local pumpkin patch near you, check out Enjoy Illinois’ guide to the state’s best pumpkin patches.