The pumpkin patch is about two-thirds jack-o-lantern and decorative types, one-third pie pumpkins. We do have some additional eating squash out in the vegetable garden, though.

That sounds like a good mix! Hopefully the eating pumpkins will get less stringy when fully ripe &/or pureed :D

I keep thinking I should get into growing herbs more, since I cook with dried ones so often. They just seem so...delicate.

Yeah herbs can definitely be a bit fragile! Thyme is a good one if you're looking for sturdiness--there's a handful of varietals grouped under the name "carpet thyme" that can take foot traffic without fuss (though probably don't eat them if it's getting walked on--i can't imagine shoe muck tastes particularly good)

Our basil plants probably would have gotten all sad and wilted if we'd had a drought but they survived multiple 3+ in rainstorms in one month, so I was pretty impressed with them haha