Pumpkin Facts

Pumpkin Facts

Total U.S. pumpkin production in 2006 was valued at $101.3 million.

496 million pounds of pumpkins were produced in Illinois in 2005.

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.

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 name pumpkin orginated from "pepon" – the Greek word for "large
melon."

The Connecticut field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.
Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

Pumpkins are fruit.

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 tops; 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.

Pumpkins are fruits. A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a member
of the gourd family, which also includes squash, cucumbers,
gherkins, and melons

Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years.
They are indigenous to the western hemisphere.

In 1584, after the French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St.
Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding "gros
melons". The name was translated into English as "pompions", which
has since evolved to "pumpkin".

Pumpkins are low in fat, calories, and sodium and high in fiber.
They are good sources of vitamin A, vitamin B, potassium, iron and
protein.

The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed a staggering 1,061 lbs. It
was grown by Paula and Nathan Zehr of Lowrville, New York.

Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the
middle of June. They take 90-120 days to grow and are picked in
October when they are bright orange. Their seeds can be saved to
grow new pumpkins the next year.