Bidding for beauty of the season

Ever wonder where your pumpkin came from? Once a week between Labor Day and Halloween, gorgeous squashes are auctioned off in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Amish Country, then taken to grocery stores and nurseries in various parts of the U.S.

On a cool October morning in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, some of the country’s best and most beautiful Cucurbita are up for bid at the Leola Produce Auction. There are classic orange ones, ranging from pale peach to deep persimmon, as far as the eye can see; and black, cream, green and blue specimens in every imaginable shape and size. Buyers for grocery stores and nurseries — some from as far as Virginia and North Carolina — roam, sip coffee, chat and check out the goods. One of them is Melissa Lowrie, a senior plant buyer for the garden-and-home mecca Terrain, who leaves her place in Philadelphia at dawn nearly every Wednesday this time of year to attend.

As at any produce auction, Leola’s offerings reflect whatever’s peaking. In warmer months, berries, cherries, corn and tomatoes dominate. In autumn it’s all about cauliflower, broccoli, apples and, of course, pumpkins. “I love the ritual of driving here in the very early morning,” says Lowrie, a Chester County native who’s going on her seventh year as an attendee. “As the sun rises, there’s a mist on the fields, and the air is crisp with that initial feeling of fall.”

At 7 a.m., when the first buyers appear, many farmers are bringing in their inventory for the day. Some bear their loads on tractors and pickup trucks; others, wearing straw hats and suspenders, arrive in traditional horse-drawn carts.

These are the local Amish and Mennonite farmers, long the backbone of Lancaster’s agricultural scene and revered for their expertise with heirloom varieties. “The auction is a logistical masterpiece,” Lowrie says. “They’ve figured out how to make all these moving pieces work efficiently, and with almost no technology.”

While the rapid, mostly silent auctions are free and open to the public, they’re still very much an insider affair, frequented by a small, steadfast group of wholesalers. “Everybody’s sizing up the lots and calculating their bids, and it’s a bit of a rush,” Lowrie says. “But it’s also beautiful in its simplicity, and it’s the centerpiece of the community.”

Great pumpkins

For aficionados, the beauty is in the bumps — and the curves, tonal colors and unique marbled, mottled patterns. Learn how to identify these top heirlooms and hybrids.

Cotton candy

The luminous ghosts of the pumpkin world, they even have white flesh under their stark white shells

Jarrahdale

Flavorful and nearly stringless, this Australian heirloom is delicious to eat and ranges in color from dusty gray to greenish blue.

Fairytale

Also known as musquee de Provence, they are heavily lobed and very popular. Chefs love their sweet, creamy flavor.

One too many F1 hybrid

A round white fruit with reddish veining, it’s said to resemble bloodshot eyes on the morning after; hence its cheeky name.

Peanut

The knobby, shell-like bumps on this French heirloom (also called galeux d’Eysines) are caused by a buildup of sugar beneath the skin.

Tandy F1 hybrid

This understated variety has pale butternut-colored skin, a slightly oval shape and a strong green stem.

Jack be little

As adorable as their name suggests, these edible, palm-size minis become more uniformly orange as they ripen.

Warty goblin F1 hybrid

Dare little hands to touch this spooky showstopper, which has lurid, lumpy warts that pop against the shiny skin.

CONTRIBUTED BY GUS POWELL An oblong shape and angled stem give a classic jacko’-lantern character (clockwise from left); the small black Futsu squash starts out inky before fading to tan; speckled Thai rai kaw toks are prized for their flat shape; a new, unnamed crossbreed; a young full-moon pumpkin, which can grow to more than 60 pounds.