17 Things You Never Knew About Pumpkins
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Pumpkins are more than just a festive decoration for Halloween or a key ingredient in pies. They have a long and fascinating history, stretching back over 5,000 years to their origins in Central America, where they were first cultivated. Today, pumpkins have grown into an essential part of American culture and agriculture, especially in Illinois.
An astonishing 95% of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. come from Illinois, earning it the title of the pumpkin capital. As the fall season approaches, these vibrant orange gourds take center stage, bringing with them traditions, culinary uses, and even health benefits that many people might not expect. There’s much more to pumpkins than what you see on a doorstep or in a pie. Here are 17 things you never knew about pumpkins.
Pumpkins Can Be Huge
Pumpkins can even reach the enormity of large watermelons, much bigger than the 12 to 18-pound pumpkins that would be used to make jack-o-lanterns. The single biggest pumpkin ever was one that was grown in New Hampshire, and it measured 2,582 pounds.
It leads to fame for this giant pumpkin and a $6,000 prize for the grower simply due to its enormity. To get such a giant pumpkin, one needs not just seeds but lots of work, knowledge in horticulture, water control, nutrient control, and even the conditions in which the pumpkin grows.
No Pie for Pilgrims
Most people think that pumpkin pie is traditional for Thanksgiving, but if asked, pop historians will know this is not true. Of course, the Pilgrims of the first Thanksgiving in 1621 could not have made butter or flour to prepare a pie crust.
Some believe that pumpkins were scooped out and then filled with milk, spices, and honey – a dessert in the making, though there is no putative evidence to support this theory. What we moderns think of as pumpkin pie did not emerge as a favorite until later centuries.
By the Pound
Pumpkins’ average volumetric price is $0.89 per pound; however, they are normally purchased by weight across the country. This figure can also be pegged on variables including area of residence and mode of acquisition. For instance, pumpkins bought from supermarkets cost less than those harvested from farm-fresh shops.
In contrast, if people get a raw experience of selecting this vegetable straight off the vine, it will come at an additional cost. In some regions, this or that additive is in short supply, or transportation costs are above average, and the price goes beyond the average indicator.
Pumpkin Cures All
Earlier, pumpkins were believed to have other uses besides being eaten or used to add value to meals. Once, people thought that applying pumpkin to the face helped to remove freckles, and pumpkins were used to treat snake bites.
Even though today’s medicine has not given a stamp of approval to these individual statements, pumpkins are endowed with crucial vitamins and nutrients for the body. Full of vitamins A and C and being a source of fiber, pumpkins are good for the eyes and heart and assist the digestive system.
Illinois Pumpkins
Illinois cannot be bested when it comes to the production of pumpkins; in fact, 95% of pumpkins used in the United States are grown in Illinois. Much of the pumpkin production is found in Illinois, mainly because the state has good soils and a favorable climate for pumpkin farming.
The state also benefits from a good infrastructure for large-scale production of pumpkins through the agricultural sector, which is seen across the production in markets across the country.
Pumpkins Take Time to Grow
Generally, the process of growing pumpkins is a long process that needs patience and proper planning. Most people associate pumpkins with the fall, but the cultivation of the food crop starts in the spring. Squash seed must be sown within the month of May or early June so the plant can grow and mature enough come October.
It also takes between 90 and 120 days for growth, depending on the type of strawberry plant to be grown. A good irrigation regime, pest management, and nutrition are critical, especially during vegetable growth, to yield good quality pumpkins appropriate to meet Halloween or Thanksgiving events.
The Irish started the Pumpkin Carving Trend.
Carving pumpkins are traced back to Ireland, where the people used turnips instead of pumpkins to spurn evil spirits. Soon, immigrants from Ireland to the United States realized that pumpkins, being a native of America, were easier to carve because the larger rind of the pumpkin was softer than that of the European variety.
It was a gradual transition from using turnips to pumpkins, which, in essence, transformed into carving jack o’ lantern pumpkins for Halloween out of pumpkins.
Watery Pumpkins
These healthy fruits, which give pumpkins a significant weight compared to their size, consist of about 90% water. This high water content describes them as a food item and an agricultural product of great value.
Due to their water-retentive nature, pumpkins can grow almost anywhere, but the correct picking and handling of the fruit is a must to avoid a shortening of their shelf life.
Pumpkins Are Gourds
Despite the fact that pumpkins are often seen as a separate fruit, they are a type of gourd in fact. This classification puts pumpkins in the same botanical family as cucumbers, watermelons, zucchini, and honey melons.
All family members are related in that they grow on vines and have a hollow seed cavity, though their appearance and culinary potential may differ significantly.
Pumpkins Can Grow in a Lot of Places
Although pumpkins originate from the Americas, specifically from the area pact with modern Mexico, they are now cultivated on six out of seven continents. Some of the pumpkins have been adapted to different climates, making cultivation across the globe feasible.
Pumpkins are grown on farms from North America down to Europe, Asia, and even Australia, and because of globalization, they have been incorporated into various cultural practices worldwide and used in various ways and for various purposes depending on the country.
Pumpkins Are Old
This delightful vegetable has been around for thousands of years. Archeological findings suggest that people started growing pumpkins around 3500 BC. This makes pumpkins one of the oldest known crops in the Western Hemisphere.
Pumpkins were probably consumed by early Central American peoples before the dawn of farming, and their seeds were both edible and medicinal.
Pumpkin Was “Pepon”
The word pumpkin is an English word with roots in Greek. It is called “pepon,” which means “large melon.” This term changed its form as it passed through different languages. The French word apparently transformed the Indigenous “pepon” into the “pompon,” and the early Americans included the name into “pumpkin.”
This walkthrough of the pumpkin’s linguistically diverse evolution shows the vegetable’s cultural importance throughout centuries.
Big Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is undoubtedly an exciting treat that people love, but it has also become a contested object. According to stats, the record for the biggest pumpkin pie was a 5 foot 6 inch across and tipped the scales at a whopping 385 pounds.
The basic pumpkin pie, like such a giant one, needed 80 pounds of pumpkin, and it took 6 hours to bake. Although this pie was great in proving how pumpkins could be used in food preparation, it was even more intriguing to learn about the place where pumpkins were taken during special and record-breaking events.
Kinds of Pumpkins
There are 73 recognized pumpkin varieties, each unique in its properties and applications. Some, such as this Jack-Be-Little, are small and intended more or less for decoration, while others, such as the heirloom red variety Rouge Vif D’Etampes, are larger and often used in cooking.
Various differences in taste, size, shape, and color make pumpkin a diverse fruit both in use and appearance, whether for culinary or decorative purposes.
Hello, October
Pumpkins themselves and pumpkin puree can be bought more or less year-round, but they are brought to the foreground in October. About 79% of the pumpkins produced across the United States are ready for sale this month as people enjoy the fall holidays.
There is no other fruit that is associated with October as much as the pumpkin through pumpkin patches to carving contests.
Pumpkin as Medicine
Aside from being a food, pumpkin has many medicinal qualities. Pumpkin oil is specifically used in cases of irritated bladder, kidney infection, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
The seeds and oil still have uses in contemporary medicine, and they benefit the prostate and counteract inflammation.
Pumpkin Beer Traditions
Despite the fact that pumpkin beer looks like a drink that has been rather recently developed, it is much older. Colonial American settlers, as well as Pilgrims, used pumpkins in the production of beer.
Pumpkins were another excellent supply of sugar throughout the season, and being starchy, they also had the advantage of being easily fermented to produce beer during this time when other required brewing materials were scarce. It has been around for centuries, and recently, breweries have started flooding the market with different pumpkin-flavored beer recipes.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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