When people visit their local family-owned pumpkin patch around Halloween, they aren't usually looking for dinner. The majority of the nearly 2 billion pounds of pumpkins cultivated in the US each year are carved up instead of eaten, making the squash a unique part of the agriculture industry. For people who prefer seasonal recipes to decorations, may raise a few questions: Are the pumpkins sold for jack-o'-lanterns different from pumpkins sold as food? And are Halloween pumpkins any good to eat?