· Total U.S. pumpkin production in 2006 was valued at $101.3 million.
· 496 million pounds of pumpkins were produced in Illinois in 2005.
· The top pumpkin production states are Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California.
· Pumpkins are grown primarily for processing with a small percentage grown for ornamental sales through you-pick farms, farmers’ market and retail sales.
· Around 90 to 95% of the processed pumpkins in the United States are grown in Illinois.
· 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.
· 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 1,510 pounds.
· The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.
· Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
· Pumpkins are a fruit and are all female.
· Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.
· Native Americans called pumpkins "isqoutm squash."
· Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.
· Six of the seven continents can grow pumpkins including Alaska. Antarctica is the only continent that they won’t grow in.
· Morton, Illinois self proclaimed pumpkin capital
· Irish brought the tradition of pumpkin carving to America. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S., they found pumpkins a plenty and they were much easier to carve for their ancient holiday
A Short History of the Pumpkin
Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back from 7000 to 5500 B.C.
References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was changed by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion." American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin."
Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed. They also dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. Indians would also roast long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and eat them. When white settlers arrived, they saw the pumpkins grown by the Indians and pumpkin soon became a staple in their diets. As today, early settlers used them in a wide variety of recipes from desserts to stews and soups. The origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then filled it with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in the hot ashes of a dying fire.
Pumpkins and Halloween
The origin of Halloween dates back at least 3,000 years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced "sow-ain"). The festival was held starting at sundown on October 31st and lasted until sundown on November 1st. It was similar to the modern practice of the New Years celebration. On this magical night, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, but also to act as protection against malevolent spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, later to be replaced by candles. Samhain was not the name of a "Lord of the Dead", no historical evidence has ever been found to back this up, it was simply the name of the festival and meant "Summer's End". It was believed that the souls of the dead were closest to this world and was the best time to contact them to say good bye or ask for assistance. It was also a celebration of the harvest. It is still treated as such today.. It has absolutely nothing to do with satan, who was a creation of the Christian church. When European settlers, particularly the Irish, arrived in America they found the native pumpkin to be larger, easier to carve and seemed the perfect choice for jack-o-lanterns. Halloween didn't really catch on big in this United States until the late 1800's and has been celebrated in many ways ever since!
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