Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

It's a crisp fall day in Ann Arbor as we begin the transition from construction season to winter. The leaves (which are falling all over my yard!) have turned rich shades of orange, yellow and red and local food culture has started to reflect the cooler temperatures as well. 

Not just for carving into jack-o-lanterns or mashing into pies anymore, pumpkin is showing up as a seasonal item all across town.

We've got highlights:

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

Where better to start our pumpkin journey than at Jolly Pumpkin? Ann Arbor's latest entry into the brew pub market has - of course - multiple pumpkin offerings. You can start at the bar with a pumpkin-infused vodka, distilled at Traverse City's Civilized Spirits. Also on tap is La Parcela, a Belgian-style sour ale with a subtle pumpkin flavor. And finally, end your Jolly Pumpkin evening with a creamy Pumpkin-Bay Pots de Crème dessert.

If pots de crème isn't your cup of tea, you can always head around the corner to Kilwin's for dessert. The front window advertises their pumpkin ice cream, which apparently "tastes just like Grandma's pumpkin pie." Cross Liberty Street to the Cupcake Station for a pumpkin cupcake, decorated with orange jack-o-lantern frosting. Or you can get both a pumpkin cupcake and Harvest Pumpkin gelato at Zingerman's Next Door.

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

Looking for a savory bite of pumpkin? Seva is serving up some pumpkin manicotti on the specials menu. The Prickly Pear on Main Street has a long-standing love of the orange squash, and you can find their toasted pumpkin seed sauce on the chicken sope, chicken empanada, and lump crabcake all year round. Head down the street to The Black Pearl and you'll find pumpkin seed encrusted halibut, a pumpkin risotto and pumpkin cheesecake.

Want your pumpkin delivered farm-to-table style? Grange has pumpkin ravioli on the menu. And yeah, Chef Max tells us that eve is serving up the promised pumpkin in a puree on the lemongrass pork loin. Time your visit right and you could also partake of a pumpkin potage — curried pumpkin is one of their rotating seasonal soups.

If you're feeling creative, you could pick up some handmade pumpkin ravioli from Pasta é Pasta's booth at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. Toss it with some sage butter or maybe a hazelnut cream sauce and you've got a perfect fall meal. Peggy Lampman has good ideas for the gourd as well - check out her recipes for curried beef in a pumpkin shell and roasted pumpkin seeds.

Finally, there's no end to your pumpkin coffee choices. Start with Sweetwaters. Barista Megan DeShong enthusiastically reports, "We have pumpkin for anything you like. Pumpkin cappuccinos, pumpkin lattes, mochas, rugalogs, cheesecakes...we can even put pumpkin flavoring in your brewed coffee!" It's a similar story at Espresso Royale, where pumpkin pie lattes, frosted pumpkin mochas and pumpkin chocolate chip bread will be available through the month of November. You can also get your pumpkin spiced latte fix at any of the local Starbucks locations.

As tasty as pumpkins may be, they're also quite good for you. Rich in carotenoids, they'll keep your immune system strong and healthy, providing powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, slowing the process of aging and preventing cataract formation. Pumpkins have even been known to reduce the risk of macular degeneration.

So go out and grab a gourd - they're good for you, and taste good too!

Jessica Webster is on the Community team at AnnArbor.com. She recruits contributors for the site and leads the Food & Drink and Books sections. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com or 734-623-2574.