Fun Pumpkin Facts

Fun Pumpkin Facts

The pumpkin has a very long and rich history. What follows are several fun (and interesting) pumpkin-related facts. Many of them will no doubt surprise you!

• Pumpkins are members of the gourd family, along with watermelons, honeydew and zucchini.
• Pumpkins are actually a fruit. But, just like tomatoes, they often get lumped in with vegetables because of the way they’re used in cooking.
• You can grow pumpkins almost anywhere in the world. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
• Every part of the pumpkin including the leaves, seeds and flowers are edible.
• Pumpkins are comprised of 90 percent water. This means they’re low in both fat and calories.
• Pumpkins are a source of several vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to stay healthy. This includes Vitamin A, Vitamin B and potassium.
• It takes between 90 and 120 days for a pumpkin to grow to full size from a seed. This means they are typically ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving, when you plant them at the beginning of June.
• 90 percent of the pumpkins, grown in the United States each year, are ready to harvest just in time for Halloween.
• While most pumpkins are orange, some varieties are red, white and even green.
• While pumpkin pie is the most popular way to eat pumpkin, you can use them in all kinds of dishes like pumpkin soup and steamed pumpkin.
• The average pumpkin weighs around 10 pounds. However, farmers have produced massive pumpkins weighing in at well over 1, 000 pounds!
• The Halloween tradition of carving spooky jack-o’-lanterns out of pumpkins is believed to come from an Irish tradition of carving faces on potatoes and turnips.
• As surprising as this may sound, Colonial Americans used pumpkin as a pie crust ingredient… not a filling.
• The smallish town of Morton, Illinois has the distinction of being the “pumpkin capital” of the world. It’s where the Libby Corporation is located.
• At one time, Native Americans were very dependent on pumpkins. They both ate the seeds and used them as a form of medicine. They use dried strips of pumpkin to make mats.

These are a few fun interesting facts about pumpkins. If you’ve never considered growing them, why not give it a try? You’ll be glad you did!