Pumpkins History

Pumpkins and squashes are one of the oldest domesticated plants, having been used as early as 7,500 to 5,000 BC. Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them.



The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for “large melon” which is “pepon.” “Pepon” was nasalized by the French into “pompon.” The English changed “pompon” to “Pumpion.” American colonists changed “pumpion” into “pumpkin.

Pumpkins In Cooking:

Most parts of the pumpkin are edible and can be made sweet or savory, including the fleshy shell, the seeds, the leaves, and even the flowers. Pumpkin pie, for instance, is a traditional part of Thanksgiving meals in Canada and the United States, and pumpkins are frequently carved as jack-o’-lanterns for decoration around Halloween.

Pumpkins And Health:

The bright orange color of pumpkin means that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health.

Giant Pumpkins:

They are 45 pumpkins’ varieties, the top pumpkin-producing states in the USA are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. “Giant Pumpkins” are a large squash, within the group of common squash Cucurbita Maxima. This year, 2019, at the Tops field Fair in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Alex Noel won the prize of more than $8,000 for growing a Giant Pumpkin that weighs more than 2,000 pounds.

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