Originally published in “A Stone’s Throw” column in the South Pasadena Review newspaper, October 2014.

Fall is by far my favorite season. There’s a chill in the air (however faint this year), leaves turn a brilliant yellow and orange, and whiffs of pumpkin waft all around. Pumpkins! I adore this autumn gourd.

Consider these pumpkin nutrition facts: it’s low in calories (one cooked cup is 49 calories); it’s an antioxidant, rich in vitamins A, C and E; it’s rich in minerals like calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium; the seeds have an excellent amount of dietary fiber and are good for the heart; there are more than 45 varieties (it gets complicated when you include types of squash); and as my second grader taught me, the more lines outside, the more seeds inside. (I checked the facts and he’s basically right!)

Though the pure inside flesh of the pumpkin is healthy for our bodies, many pumpkin products may not be as much. (Make sure to check nutrition facts on the package.) But they are tasty!

This year I’ve been visiting a kind of pumpkin patch weekly! Trader Joe’s. And my habit has been stretching my wallet and my belly.

I consistently walk out with at least three to five pumpkin items each time: Pumpkin Cream Cheese, Pumpkin Rolls with pumpkin icing, Pumpkin O’s cereal, Iced Pumpkin Scone Cookies, Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Salted Caramels … )

This last week, I purchased three actual pumpkins to grace our front porch and welcome people into our pumpkin-stuffed home (pantry, fridge and people alike.)

As you enter my pumpkin candle-scented house, you will find me smothered in Pumpkin Body Butter, munching on a Harvest Salad with pumpkin vinaigrette, sipping Pumpkin Spice Coffee, and making Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

There are more than 60 pumpkin items in all at this one particular store. So really, I am just skimming the surface.

Though I may seem a little crazy I am actually holding back when I buy just a few items. Oh, how I yearn to try so much more and I probably will (like Pumpkin Pie Mochi Ice Cream, Pecan Pumpkin Oatmeal, and Pumpkin Cranberry Scone Mix!)

Trust me when I say, I don’t work for any particular grocer or pumpkin association in any way. And I assure you; I am not alone in my pumpkin headedness. On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Fallon even jokes, on more than one occasion, about America’s insatiable appetite for pumpkin lattes, another weakness of mine. (Does that even surprise you by now?)

Amidst pumpkins galore and as delicious as all the pumpkin products are, one of my family’s all-time favorite fall treats is my mom’s simple Asian Pumpkin Porridge with only three ingredients (pumpkin, rice and salt or sugar). I’m drawn back to the basic pumpkin itself. (See recipe below.)

So as you enjoy the plethora of pumpkin in our lives, don’t forget to enjoy pure pumpkin and celebrate our access to and love for it.

Final pumpkin fact: The word “pumpkin” was shamelessly used 40 times in the writing of this piece.

Mama Suk’s Asian Pumpkin Porridge

(Mom says that kings used to eat this in Korea.)

Rinse one cup of rice. Soak in water for one to two hours. Take a greenish Kabocha Squash/Japanese Pumpkin (about five pounds) and wash well, scrub even. (You can use any cooking pumpkin, but Kabocha is our favorite.) Cut in half. Take out seeds. (You can bake those separately.) Steam for roughly 20 minutes, until soft (You can also microwave about one minute per pound.)

Scoop out flesh and combine with soaked rice. Food process or mash the mixture. Stir mixture often in a pot over medium heat, reducing heat to low after boiling. Stir into a thicker consistency. Watch for clumping by stirring regularly for about 15 minutes. (Optional: mix in ½ cup milk for a smoother texture.)

Add about ½ teaspoon salt (to taste) if you want a savory porridge. Or add about one to two teaspoons of sugar (to taste) for a sweet, dessert-like porridge. Enjoy and make sure to let me know how it turns out!