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万圣节期间采摘南瓜

A popular American tradition every autumn in the United States is to go to a farm with a pumpkin¹ patch, and pick one of the large orange gourds² right off the vine. Many of the pumpkins³ will be carved into candle-lit jack⁴ o’ lanterns for the Halloween celebration of the spooky at the end of this month.

每年秋天，美国人的一个传统是，到农场去采摘桔黄色的南瓜。很多南瓜都被雕刻成10月底万圣节期间点燃的南瓜灯笼，也就是把南瓜削空以后，在中间放上蜡烛，外壳刻成各种各样的脸谱。马里兰州的米德尔镇上，有着美国最佳的南瓜种植地之一。

The Huffer Family Farm is a busy place each October, as families wander through the 6-hectare Jumbo’s Pumpkin Patch, searching for the perfect pumpkin. Sarah Cosgrove has been coming to Jumbo's for several years with her husband and two sons.

霍夫尔家庭农场每年10月间，都繁忙得很。大人孩子都到这个六公顷(90亩)大的专门种植南瓜的农场来，寻找他们最中意的南瓜。几年来，科斯格卢芙与她的丈夫和两个儿子，每年都要到这里走一趟。

“I think the landscape is really pretty and we usually are able to get our pumpkins right off the vine. We'll carve them up and put them on our front porch to decorate our house,” said Cosgrove.

她说：“这里风景真好，通常可以从藤上直接摘下南瓜，回家以后刻出个样子来，放在家门前，点缀一下。”

The Huffer family has farmed these 53 hectares near Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains for more than 140 years. David Huffer and his brother are the seventh generation to run the farm, with help from their families. The pumpkin patch opened in 1994, and Huffer says it’s a chance to see pumpkins on the vine instead of in a grocery store.

霍夫尔一家经营这个位于马里兰州科多克顿山区附近、占地53英亩的农场，已经有140多年的历史了。大卫?霍夫尔和他的兄弟是农场的第七代主人，家里其他人也帮着一同经营。这片南瓜地是1994年开辟出来的。霍夫尔说，人们在这儿可以看到树上的南瓜，而不仅仅是摆在商店里的。

“A lot of kids don't realize how pumpkins grow," Huffer explained. "They're having fun and learning something at the same time.”

他说：“很多孩子都不知道南瓜是怎么长的；来这儿，他们可以一边玩儿，一边学一些知识。”

Other fun activities include taking pony⁵ rides and eating ice cream.

其他一些好玩的，还包括骑马、吃冰激淋。

Rodney Kline, a friend of Huffer's, churns the home-made treat in an ice cream maker⁶ connected to an old gas engine from 1918. “Back in the day, the farmer would have used it to run a small corn grinder or corn sheller, maybe the well pump,” he said.

克莱恩是霍夫尔的一位朋友；他的这架卖冰激淋的车是跟1918年的一个燃汽发动机连起来的。他说：“那时候，农人用这个发动机来为玉米除去外壳，或者是帮着抽井水。”

Huffer says families also enjoy the hayride that brings them to the pumpkin patch.

霍夫尔说，来这儿的大人小孩儿也都很喜欢坐在农场的车上，去采摘南瓜。

“We have people who just like to ride the wagons⁷ because that's all they want to do. They just like to ride around and they'll do that all afternoon, which is fine,” Huffer added.

他说：“有些人来这儿，就为了能坐车兜一圈，整个下午就坐车兜圈，很开心，我们当然也不介意。”

Diane Wilkerson is amused to watch her grandchildren search for pumpkins.

看着她的儿孙们兴高采烈地采摘南瓜，威尔克森心里也充满喜悦。

“Especially when they try to pick them up, and then they go to the ground when they find out that they're too heavy,” she said.

她说：“孩子们使劲儿想把南瓜提起来，但是发现太重了，提不动，于是干脆就倒在地上，太好玩了!”

Cameron Spinner was very excited about his first visit to Jumbo’s.

斯宾奈尔是头一次到这儿来，他兴奋得很。

His mother, Cynthia, says the pumpkin patch is a lot of fun for her, too.

他的妈妈辛西亚说，她自己也很高兴到这儿来。

“I had a great time just finding the biggest pumpkins. There's huge pumpkins here,” she said.

“到这儿来挑个头最大的南瓜，太好玩了!这儿的南瓜个头都很大。”

Six-month-old Aidan Cain was dressed for his first visit to a pumpkin patch. But his parents, Brian and Tammy Cain, look like they’re having more fun.

六个月大的艾登也是头一次到这儿来。他的衣着可以说是非常“合时宜”。不过，相比之下，他的爸爸妈妈似乎比他玩的还开心!

The pumpkins are taken to their new homes, to be painted or carved or just left plain... a familiar and festive⁸ decoration for the Halloween celebration.

大人孩子这会儿都把采摘下的南瓜带回城里，给它们画上不同的脸谱、雕刻成不同的样子，或者就按原样，放在那里。不管怎么样，都是对万圣节的庆祝。