Welcome to our Directory for Pumpkin!
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What is Pumpkin?
A coarse vine widely cultivated for its non-keeping large pulpy round orange fruit with firm orange skin and numerous seeds; subspecies of Cucurbita pepo include the summer squashes and a few autumn squashes.
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Pumpkin Fun Facts
- Pumpkin Chucking - Pumpkin Chucking is a competitive activity in which teams build various mechanical devices designed to throw a pumpkin as far as possible.
- Smashing Pumpkins - The Smashing Pumpkins are a popular American alternative rock band which formed in Chicago in 1988.
- Pumpkin Queen - A pumpkin queen may be either a fictional character or a real person associated with a variety of beauty contests held in North America.
- The pumpkin is related to the zucchini (courgette).
- Pumpkin Competition - Pumpkin growers often compete to see whose pumpkins are the most massive. Festivals dedicated to the pumpkin and these competitions are relatively widespread and some form tourist attractions.
- Largest Pumpkin - The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,469 lb (666 kg). Raised by Larry Checkon from Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania in 2005, it is technically a "squash," Cucurbita maxima, and was of the public variety "Atlantic Giant," which is the "giant" variety - culminated from the simple hubbard squash by enthusiast farmers through intermittent effort since the mid 1800's. However, this record is being challenged by Ron Wallace of Rhode Island, who raised an alleged 1,502 pound pumpkin in 2006.
- Pumpkin Nutrients - Pumpkins are orange because they contain massive amounts of lutein, alpha- and beta-carotene. These nutrients turn to vitamin A in the body.
- Pumpkin Lanterns - Using pumpkins as lanterns at Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic custom brought to America by Irish immigrants. All Hallows Eve on 31 October marked the end of the old Celtic calendar year, and on that night hollowed-out turnips, beets and rutabagas with a candle inside were placed on windowsills and porches to welcome home spirits of deceased ancestors and ward off evil spirits and a restless soul called "Stingy Jack," hence the name "Jack-o'-lantern".......
- Pumpkin Carving - History tells us that the first jack-o-lanterns were carved from turnips or gourds and were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, but also to act as protection against malevolent spirits. read more on pumpkin carving
- World Record for lit pumpkins - The city of Boston, Massachusetts currently holds the world record for most lit pumpkins in one area: 30,128, set on October 21, 2006, beating out the previous record of 28,952 set in Keene, New Hampshire in 2003.
- Pumpkin Pollination - Pumpkins have historically been pollinated by the native squash bee Peponapis pruinosa.
- Pumpkins are grown today in the US more for decoration than for food.
- Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other state in the United States; Michigan is a distant second.
- Pumpkins were among the first foods from the "New World" adopted in Europe, probably due to a European cousin: Lagenaria
- "Pumpkin" is sometimes used as an affectionate term, often referring to one's significant other. For example: "I love you, Pumpkin."
- The pumpkin is the state fruit of New Hampshire.
Find more definitions at:
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Pumpkin Seeds
The hulless or semi-hulless seeds of pumpkins can be roasted and eaten as a snack, similar to the sunflower seed. The seeds are often prepared by separation from orange pumpkin flesh, mixture with a generally salty sauce (Worcestershire sauce, for example), even distribution on a baking sheet, and oven-heating at a relatively low temperature for a long period of time. They are a good source of essential fatty acids, potassium, and magnesium.
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Cooking Pumpkin
Pumpkin is delishious and can be cooked in many different ways. When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked, and roasted, or made into various kinds of pie, alone or mixed with other fruit. Some people say that pumpkin pie tastes similar to sweet potato pie and is always served with whipped cream on top. Pumpkin can also be eaten mashed with butter and spices and is traditional to eat at autumn holidays. One of the best ways to eat pumpkin is incorporated into soups. Smooth Pumpkin Soup is something that everyone needs to try! Hot Pumpkin Soup is perfect for the winter and is best served with crusty bread to dip it in. At our house, pumpkin soup makes it on our table many times before the pumpkin season is over. We have our very own recipe that you can find here.
(Smooth Pumpkin Soup Recipe)
When you pour milk in a pumpkin and bake it, it makes pudding.
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Why Pumpkins Are Better Than Men
-- Every year you get a brand new crop to choose from.
-- No matter what your mood, pumpkins are always
ready to greet you with a smile.
-- One usually makes a better pie.
-- They are always on the doorstep there waiting for you!
-- If you don't like the way he looks, you just carve up
another face.
-- If he starts smelling up your place, you can just throw
him out.
-- From the start, you know a pumpkin has an empty,
mush filled head.
-- A pumpkin is turned on (lit-up) only when you want
him to be.
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