Pumpkin Trivia

Pumpkin Trivia
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What to Do With Your Pumpkin After Halloween Pumpkin

Pumpkins are great for much more than carving! Pumpkins provide 53% of our vitamin A, 20% of our vitamin C, and 564 mg. of potassium. So if you never got around to carving that pumpkin, you might want to cook your pumpkin! The name pumpkin originated from "pepon" – the Greek word for "large melon." Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine. American colonists sliced off pumpkin tips; removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of our pumpkin pie, although it is recorded that they also used pumpkins as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling. It is true that special varieties of pumpkins (called, most obviously "pie pumpkins") make the smoothest pumpkin pie, but even a jack-o-lantern type pumpkin makes a pretty good pie. A Random Collection of Pumpkin Facts... or Trivia Pumpkins are fruits, a type of squash that cucumbers, squashes and melons. Pumpkins are native to North America and have been domestically grown there for five thousand years. In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the Saint Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding "gros melons" (large 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 largest pumpkin ever grown was over 1100 by a man in Ohio, in 2000. Pumpkins require a long hot growing season and loads of humus, manure and water. Pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack. Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A. Pumpkins are used for feed for animals. Pumpkin flowers are edible. Pumpkins are used to make soups, pies and breads. The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake. Pumpkins are members of the vine crops family called cucurbits. They are easy to grow! Pumpkins originated in Central America. In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling. Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites. Pumpkins range in size from less than a pound to over 1,000 pounds. The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds. The name pumpkin originated from "pepon" – the Greek word for "large melon." The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin. Pumpkins are 90 percent water. Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October. In colonial times, Native Americans roasted long strips of pumpkin in an open fire. Colonists sliced off pumpkin tips; removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie. Native Americans flattened strips of pumpkins, dried them and made mats. Native Americans called pumpkins "isqoutm squash." Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine. What to Do With Your Carved Pumpkin After Halloween Pumpkin Of course, if you already carved it as a jack-o-lantern, here are some do's and don't's for your carved pumpkin: Do: Put it in the compost heap - it will make good fertilizer Bury it in the garden - it will decay quickly and enrich the soil Wash, dry and save the seeds to plant next year (they will grow!) Wash and roast the seeds - they make good eating. Dump it in the trash, if you haven't got a garden Don't: Use it as a door stop Keep it indoors: it will rot and stain the floor Put it in the attic for next Halloween Attempt to eat it or cook with it. Use it in cold fusion experiments (pumpkinfusion has been disproven ).