Facts about Pumpkin
The oldest evidence, pumpkin-related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 B.C.E., were found in Mexico (PP 2007).
Inadequately pollinated pumpkins usually start growing but abort before full development.
The term pumpkin also refers to the large, edible, globe-shaped fruit, which is a popular vegetable.
Pumpkin is a rich source of vitamin A, being high in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.
One gram of pumpkin seed protein contains as much tryptophan as a full glass of milk (Whitby 2007).
Pumpkin seed oil is a thick, green oil that is produced from roasted pumpkin seeds.
Some get very large: As of 2007, the world record for pumpkins was 1689 pounds (767.7 pounds) (PumpkinNook 2007).
The word pumpkin originates from the word "pepon," which is Greek for "large melon."
Festivals are often dedicated to the pumpkin and these competitions.
Pumpkins that are still small and green may be eaten in the same way as the vegetable marrow/zucchini.
The pumpkin fruit and flowers, while advancing the plant's own function of reproduction, also provides larger functions for the ecosystem and for humans.
Traditionally, pumpkin is a very popular Halloween and Thanksgiving staple.
Some pumpkin chuckers breed and grow special varieties of pumpkin under specialized conditions in order to improve the pumpkin's chances of surviving a throw.
When used for cooking or as a salad dressing, pumpkin seed oil is generally mixed with other oils because of its robust flavor (Herbst 2001).
Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking, from the fleshy shell, to the seeds, to even the flowers; most parts of the pumpkin are edible.
Pumpkin is the common name for large-fruited varieties of several species of trailing and climbing plants of the genus Cucurbita, characterized by a round, pulpy, orange or orange-yellow fruit with a thick rind.
In America, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general, long before it became an emblem of Halloween.
In Australia, pumpkin is often roasted in conjunction with other vegetables.
The top pumpkin producing states in the United States include Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California (Wolford and Banks 2008).
Pumpkins produce both a male and female flowers; honeybees play a significant role in fertilization (Orzolek et al.
Pumpkin seeds have many health benefits, some of which include a good source of protein, zinc, and other vitamins, and are even said to lower cholesterol (WHF 2008).
Pumpkins are monoecious, having both male and female flowers, the latter distinguished by the small ovary at the base of the petals.
Pumpkins are a warm weather crop that are usually planted in early July in North America.
Pumpkin pie is a traditional staple of the Thanksgiving holiday in Canada and the United States and carving of the rind of the hollowed-out fruit into jack-o'-lanterns is a popular activity around Halloween.
Howard Dill is accredited for all of the giant pumpkins today, most of which are borne from crossing and re-crossing his patented seed with other varieties (Raver 2007).
Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are small, flat, green, edible seeds.
The traditional American pumpkin is the Connecticut Field variety (PP 2007).
Most pumpkin seeds are covered by a white husk, although some pumpkin varieties produce seeds without them.
Pumpkin seeds are a popular snack that can be found hulled or semi-hulled at grocery stores.
The biggest international producers of pumpkins include the United States, Mexico, India, and China (PP 2007; WHF 2008).
Ecologically, the fruit and flowers are a food source for many animals, including bee pollinators that themselves are necessary for fertilization of the pumpkins.
Pumpkins have historically been pollinated by the native squash bee Peponapis pruinosa, but this bee has declined, probably due to pesticide sensitivity, and today most commercial plantings are pollinated by honeybees.
Out of the seven continents only Antarctica is unable to produce pumpkins.
Pumpkin can be used to flavor both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
The French adapted this word to "pompon," which the English changed to "pompion" and later American colonists changed that to the word we use today, "pumpkin" (PP 2007).
Dill patented the seeds used to grow this giant pumpkin, deeming them Dill’s Atlantic Giant seeds, and drawing growers from around the world.
The specific conditions necessary for growing pumpkins require that soil temperatures at at depth of three inches be at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the soil be a type that holds water well.
Pumpkins typically are orange or orange-yellow, although fruits may be dark green, pale green, orange-yellow, white, red and gray (PumpkinNook 2008).
Pumpkin chucking is a competitive activity in which teams build various mechanical devices designed to throw a pumpkin as far as possible.
Members of the Cucurbitaceae commonly are known as melons, gourds, or cucurbits, and includes crops like cucumbers, squashes (including pumpkins), luffas, melons, and watermelons.