FALL-ing in Love: Dogtown Pumpkins
None of us can imagine autumn without the vibrant presence of pumpkins. Like snowflakes, no two pumpkins are alike in size, shape, or color. From the cheerful orange of the State Fair variety to the soft pastels of Fairy-Tale variety, the colors and flavors of pumpkins define our fall memories past, present and future. Dogtown Pumpkins helps make those memories, spreading fall joy throughout the community with their self-serve pumpkin farm stand, their wholesale offerings, and their decorative packages.
Carina and Dominic Borra are a match made in heaven: Dom a 4th generation farmer, Carina a Fresno State alumna in plant science. After graduating during the turmoil of 2020 and beginning a full-time job, Carina was eager for a creative outlet that she and her husband could do together. While looking through a childhood photo album, she saw pictures of her husband as a young boy growing and selling pumpkins at his family’s winery. She had studied and worked with pumpkins during her college internship. It seemed like it was meant to be: they decided to grow pumpkins together as a family venture, starting with only one acre. Unafraid of sweat and hard work, Carina spoke about the labor she and her husband did together in their fields, tending the pumpkins and filling the trucks themselves. They sold to local wineries such as Bokisch and Oak Farm, the bright gourds a beautiful compliment to the senescence of the fall vineyards, and aworked to break into the commercial market, selling to local grocery stores.
On a whim, they also set up a self-serve farm stand as an add-on to their wholesale ventures, hoping to sell remaining pumpkins they might have. But soon, more and more cars stopped, and more and more people milled through the little tent with its picturesque hay bales and colorful cascades of pumpkins and gourds. From older couples on a date night, to families picking out their carving pumpkins, the crowds kept coming – and still do as soon as they open on the second Saturday of September, through November 1. “It was all so unexpected!” Carina said as she recounted their origin story with a delighted laugh. “People loved the simplicity of it – being able to come to a local farm stand with the honor system.” And so, Dogtown Pumpkins was born from the Borra’s hard work and creative vision. The title sprung from the quirky name of their neighborhood, “Dogtown,” a census-designated portion of San Joaquin County, its origins lost to time. It was also a homage to their pup, June, a zany Border Collie with the zoomies and the sweetest disposition. June often joins them when they spend time at the farm stand, looking to make more friends – both human and canine.
Seeing how much people enjoyed the ambiance of their self-serve stand, Carina began to expand their offerings and include decorative packages for people who wanted to transform their homes or porches into an autumnal wonderland. “I love decorating for each holiday,” she said. “It helps you enjoy the season of life you’re in and brings people happiness.” She works with her clients to make their vision a reality. Many want their décor to be along the lines of “Fall Classic,” with towering stacks of orange, green and white pumpkins such as Magic Lanterns, or white Flat Stackers, or the hulking Big Maxes, which can grow upward of 100 lbs. Some prefer “Pastel Fall Charm,” choosing the soft blush of the Fairy Tale variety or the beautiful colors of the Jarrahdale ranging from off-white blue to striking jewel tones. And others prefer to lean into the scariness of the season, choosing gourds such as the Warty Goblin or Big Gordon with warts, dark hues and twisting necks.
In a world where things are often mass-produced, impersonal, and low-quality, Dogtown Pumpkins preserves the unique, individual and excellent. For them, it’s not just about a product. “It’s about memories and building a community together,” Carina said emphatically. She collects the handwritten notes she receives as a reminder of their motivation, including one that read, “This pumpkin patch is the only reason [we] are having a Halloween.” They see their business not only as a beautiful institution that spreads the beauty and delight of fall, but also as a stronghold that preserves local agriculture for upcoming generations. They pour into their community, hoping to inspire other young farmers to “blend tradition with innovation.” They choose relationships over revenue whenever the two are pitted against each other. And as Carina and Dominic watch their two-year-old son play among the vines, pointing out the different colors of pumpkins as he sees them, trying to sit on the biggest ones he can find, they hope that he will eventually follow in their footsteps – helping usher in a new generation in agriculture that nurtures both the land and the local community.
