Ten Fascinating Facts about Pumpkins

by Susan Davis on 29/10/09 at 5:59 am

As Halloween creeps up on us, we thought it might be timely to look at the pumpkin and some of the fascinating facts and folklore surrounding this seasonal fruit.  (Yes, pumpkin is a fruit, not a vegetable!)   Here are some tidbits for you to chew on!

1. Pumpkins are native to North America, but grow on every continent except Antarctica.
2. Pumpkins are 90 percent water, high in fiber, low in calories and an excellent source of Vitamins A and B.
3. The average pumpkin contains about one cup of seeds.
4. The U.S. produces 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins each year.  Almost 90 percent of pumpkins come from within 90 miles of Peoria, Illinois, which appears to be “Pumpkin Central.”
5. The Irish brought the art of pumpkin carving to America (although they originally were carving turnips in their homeland, but found pumpkins more plentiful here).
6. In colonial times, pumpkins were used for the piecrust, not the filling.
7. The record for the largest pumpkin is currently 1,600 pounds.
8. The largest pumpkin pie ever made measured five feet in diameter and weighted in at a hefty 350 pounds.  It 80 poundd of cooked pumpkin, 36 pound of sugar, 144 eggs and six hours to bake.
9. Because of the high fiber content, veterinarians sometimes recommend canned pumpkin as a dietary supplement for dogs and cats with digestive problems.
10. Punkin’ Chunkin’ is a competitive activity in which teams build mechanical devices to throw a pumpkin as far as possible.  This year’s event takes place November 6-8 in Delaware.  Last year’s world record was nearly one mile, at 4,483 feet.

Happy Halloween!