Pumpkins • Vol. 17: #44

Autumn is upon us, a good time for Tidbits to examine one of the season’s foremost food items used for soups, desserts and bread, and of course the ubiquitous symbol for the celebration of Halloween -- the pumpkin!

• Pumpkins are one of the oldest domesticated plants. So, is it a fruit or a vegetable? Scientifically it is a fruit because it contains seeds and the fruit grows from a blossom on an existing plant. But nutritionally, it’s more similar to vegetables, specifically the squash family. Chefs consider them vegetables, because they’re prepared like vegetables.

• A pumpkin contains about 500 seeds. If you’re planning to plant pumpkins, soak the seeds in lukewarm water the day before planting for optimum sprouting. Expect them to sprout in eight to ten days. Because they take between 90 and 120 days to mature, plant them between May and July.

• The word “pumpkin” has undergone some modifications over the centuries. It’s believed that the Greek word “pepon,” meaning “large melon,” was the original name. The French pronounced it “pompon,” and the English changed it to “pumpion.” William Shakespeare mentioned the word “pumpion” in his 1602 play “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” It was the American colonists who changed the word to “pumpkin.”

• More than 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins are produced annually in the U.S. The top-producing states are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Morton, Illinois proudly holds the title of Pumpkin Capital of the World.” Home to the Libby Corporation’s canning facility, the city processes 85% of America’s pumpkins. The University of Illinois tells us that 95% of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. come from that state.

VARIETIES AND USES

• What do Hooligan, Lumina, Iron Man, Cotton Candy, Cinderella, and Orange Smoothie have in common? They are all a different type of the 45 varieties of pumpkins. Those with a higher sugar content, such as the New England Cheddar, are best for desserts, while other less-sugary varieties, such as the Cinderella, named after the carriage of the fairy-tale princess, are used in savory recipes, such as those for other squashes. Generally speaking, the smaller the pumpkin, the better the flavor.

• Early artists’ impressions of the First Thanksgiving show the Pilgrims serving trad-itional pumpkin pie at their outdoor tables. However, this representation isn't really accurate. According to records, the first pies were “gutted-out pumpkins, filled with milk, spices, and honey baked among a fire’s hot ashes.” The Native Americans of the area, in addition to snacking on long strips of pumpkin roasted on the open fire, would dry them out and weave them into mats to lay on their dirt floors.

• Although we love to bake pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, surprisingly it’s not our favorite. The American Pie Council says that apple pie is actually our preferred choice. But that didn’t stop the members of the New Bremen, Ohio Giant Pumpkin Growers from embarking on making the world’s largest pumpkin pie in 2010. Tipping the scales at 3,699 pounds, the crust was made of 440 sheets of dough and had a diameter of 20 feet.

• In 2014, a Tennessee mom set out to make Halloween safe for kids who were afflicted with life-threatening food allergies. As a mother of a child with such allergies, she created the Teal Pumpkin Project, asking families in her neighborhood to paint a pumpkin a teal color and place on their porch to indicate that they are handing out non-food treats, such as small toys or other non-edibles. The project has now blossomed into a nationwide initiative for allergy awareness.

The Teal Pumpkin Project has become a nationwide initiative for allergy awareness.

PUMPKIN FUN

• Did you know that pumpkins have their very own sport? “Punkin Chunkin’” has become a popular pumpkin-launching competition event in several cities across the continent. Organized contests are held requiring pumpkins to be shot through the air by some type of mechanical means. This includes slingshots, catapults, centrifuges, trebuchets (long-armed, jointed catapults), pneumatic cannons, and any other contraption that can be devised.

An excited enthusiast watches pumpkins sail through the air at "Punkin Chunkin," the annual pumpkin-launching competition.

• Pumpkins with thicker rinds are chosen in order to better withstand the sudden acceleration of the launch. The main rule is that the pumpkin must remain intact, whole and unbroken from the time it leaves the device until it strikes the ground. The record-setting longest shot occurred in 2010 in Moab, Utah, where the pumpkin was shot from a pneumatic cannon, rocketing 5,545 feet -- more than a mile! before landing.

PUMPKIN CARVING

• The Irish were the first to carve Jack-o-lanterns, but they weren't from pumpkins. Rather they carved turnips and potatoes, with the purpose of warding off evil spirits. The English used large beets and lit them with embers. When immigrants brought the tradition to America, they found pumpkins to be much easier to carve and the change was made. During colonial times, pumpkin halves were also placed on a person’s head as a guide for haircuts!

• As if carving a pumpkin isn’t tricky enough, how about accomplishing it underwater? Several states sponsor an annual underwater carving competition, including Texas, Florida, California, Vermont, and Minnesota. In the Florida Keys, scuba divers gather in a shallow coral reef for the contest, which requires turning a pumpkin into a sea creature jack-o-lantern. In Austin, Texas, there are several categories, including Mermaid’s Delight, Creepiest Creation, and Fantastically Funny. The contest at Louise Mine Lake near Crosby, Minnesota, which began in 1998, sends divers 30 feet down to accomplish their carving creations.

PUMPKINS FOR HEALTH

• Nutritionally, pumpkin is a wonder food. It’s 94% water, which makes it low in calories, less than 50 calories per cup. That one cup will provide 245% of the recommended daily requirement of Vitamin A, important for healthy vision, cell division, and the immune system. Pumpkin is also very high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that contributes to eye, skin, and cell health, as well as reducing the risk for certain cancers.

• Research conducted for 22 different studies indicates that people who have a higher intake of beta-carotene had a considerably lower risk of cataracts, a common cause of blindness.

• Another name for pumpkin seeds is pepitas. While the pumpkin’s flesh is low in calories, the seeds have 170 calories per one-ounce serving. Lots of folks season and roast the seeds, while others grind them up and use them as a breading for fried chicken.

• Old folklore medicine touted the use of pumpkins for all sorts of ailments, including intestinal parasites, curing snake bites, and even removing freckles. In the animal world, veterinarians often recommend canned pumpkin for dogs and cats suffering from digestive ailments, including constipation, diarrhea, or hairballs.

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• The current record holder for the world’s largest pumpkin is a Belgian gentleman from New South Wales, Mathias Willemijns, who grew a mammoth pumpkin weighing over a ton, at 2,624.6 pounds. He accomplished his record feat during the 2016 growing season. □

Mathias Willemijns standing with the world's largest pumpkin, which he grew in 2016.

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