With the World Famous Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival happening this weekend near us, I was already going to write this before Nikki blogged about carving them, so puns aside, here are some fun facts about that gorgeous gourd, the PUMPKIN!
Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C.
A pumpkin is really a squash, which is actually a fruit! Seriously, I don't make this stuff up. This is science! Maybe this is. Or this.
Early references to pumpkins go back several hundred years. They were called “pompions” (from the Greek word ‘pepon’, meaning “large melon”).
American Indian tribes grew pumpkins for food and long before the discovery of corn, relied on pumpkins to get them through long winters.
Pumpkins were once thought of as a cure for freckles and snake bites.
Pumpkins are now grown on every continent except Antarctica.
Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
Pumpkins are monoecious, having both male and female flowers on the same plant.
After planting, it takes pumpkin approximately 90 to 120 days to mature. There is only one day during the entire growing season, in which the pumpkin flower can be pollinated. If the growing season is a dry one, pumpkins will typically be 20% - 30% smaller, in size.
80% of the pumpkin supply in the US is available in October.
Thanks for reading!
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