Because yesterday was National Pumpkin Day I had the need to definitely write about this. Although we are so lucky that we’ve got our local amazing pumpkins, best flavor, and best agricultors, we often ask ourselves: Is there really a pumpkin season in Puerto Rico? Well, to answer the question, yes there is pumpkin season in Puerto Rico, but in a different way, it is mostly a feeling. There might not be pumpkin markets, fall leaves everywhere, the so loved pumpkin spice latte at every coffee shop, but we do have other things that fill our hearts with so much joy and let us know that it is the beginning of the holiday season.
The first time this truly hit me was five years ago when I was having a conversation with my husband during our first Christmas together. As so many of you know my husband is from Israel. And the first thing he said to me while buying all Fall decorations and getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner was: “I don’t know why you all do this and are so excited, there are no seasons here”. I laughed so hard, got a little offended, but yeah, of course I knew he was right. I mean, I’ve always been so excited about this time, like everybody says: It is the best season of the year!! All the decorations, all the celebrations, family meetings, best food and more. So he was right, there are no marked weather seasons in Puerto Rico. But the way I see it and explained it to him is that the beauty of this is that for us, the season is not by drastic temperature changes or by fall leaves or white snow. It’s even better… it’s by that feeling we get when October and November comes. It might feel like summer outside 24/7, sun is shining most of the time, and the heat and humidity never leave us, but that’s the amazing thing of what we and all the colleagues in the industry of cooking do, you feel the season in all those flavours we create. All those ingredients, warm smells, amazing meals, and desserts let you know that there’s something in the air. And then we celebrate in the best way we know: The Puertorrican Way.
Pumpkin Season in Puerto Rico is in our hearts.
xoxo Nicole