Talk about squashing the competition. Just in time for Halloween parties, drinkers can now imbibe the world’s first pumpkin cider, courtesy of Woodchuck Hard Cider.

“Other than the apple, is there a fruit that [better] exemplifies fall in New England than a pumpkin?” queries Bret Williams, president and CEO of Green Mountain Beverage co., maker of Woodchuck. “We decided to put the two of them together for the first time.”

The pumpkins used in the cider come from the garden of a Woodchuck employee, George Leggett, who lives just 10 miles from the Bristol cidery. The very limited run of pumpkin cider is the first style produced under Woodchuck’s “private reserve” label.

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And the winner of the U.S. Open is … Ben & Jerry’s? Jim Chairusmi of the Wall Street Journal conducted a “brazenly unscientific” comparison of food options served at the National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y. Despite fierce competition from a Carnegie Deli pastrami sandwich and a roasted-chicken panino made by celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman, a Ben & Jerry’s hot fudge sundae reigned supreme. Fifteen-love!

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Its name may be ominous, but Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the regular bulletin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is often worth perusing. The September 10 edition reports on a study of Americans’ consumption of produce over the past decade.

Overall, citizens of Washington, D.C., eat the most fruit each day — and this was true before Michelle Obama started rocking the White House garden. They’re followed, less surprisingly, by Californians. New Yorkers and Vermonters tie for third place.

Despite the localvore movement, Green Mountain eaters aren’t even in the top five when it comes to veggie consumption in the past 10 years. The study concludes that Americans in every single state need to eat more green stuff.

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Nights are chilly and leaves are beginning to show their colors, which means it’s time for the onslaught of articles about traveling to Vermont to catch the evanescent display.

The Boston Globe kicked things off on September 12 with a detailed list of things to do in Montpelier. The city is renowned, says writer Sarah Zobel, for its “idyllic setting” and “quirky friendliness,” as well as its proximity to lots of trees.

Zobel also notes that the little capital is filled with noteworthy restaurants. She highlights the New England Culinary Institute’s Main Street Grill & Bar and La Brioche, Positive Pie 2 (although she forgot the 2) and the Black Door Bar and Bistro, among others.