While the pumpkin isn't really a part of just Halloween, it certainly is used a lot during this celebration. Can't imagine a Halloween without seeing tons of pumpkins carved into jack-o-lanterns! Not to mention all the pumpkin pies around the holidays.
PUMPKIN FACTS
Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini. These plants are native to Central America and Mexico, but now grow on six continents.
The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2005 and weighed 2,020 pounds.
Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years. They are indigenous to the western hemisphere.
In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding “gros melons.” The name was translated into English as “pompions,” which has since evolved into the modern “pumpkin.”
Pumpkins are low in calories, fat, and sodium and high in fiber. They are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, potassium, protein, and iron.
The heaviest pumpkin weighed 1,810 lb 8 oz and was presented by Chris Stevens at the Stillwater Harvest Fest in Stillwater, Minnesota, in October 2010.
Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.
Ya know, the first jack-o-lanterns were carved out of turnips and potatoes. Hard to imagine one of those sitting on your porch awaiting the trick or treating, isn't it?
Coffee out on the patio where it's nice and cool this morning!
