You will amaze your friends with your knowledge of the great orange globe!
We’ve got a plethora (I just wanted to use a fancy word for “lots”) of information on pumpkins. This information is invaluable for school reports. You will amaze your friends on your knowledge and IQ, or just general education and knowledge.
I once had an Email from a young lady in Australia, who was looking for the strangest fact or story about pumpkins. She needed it for a local radio station contest, where the winner received a pair of tickets to a “Smashing Pumpkins” band concert. You just never know when you will need some of our interesting pumpkin facts and trivia.
So, you want to become the “Pumpkin Expert” at the Halloween party, the Thanksgiving dinner, and more! Here are links to learn just about everything there is to know about pumpkins.
Pumpkins are believed to have originated in Central America. Seeds from pumpkin plants have been found in Mexico, dating back over 7000 years to 5500 B.C.
Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets, centuries before the pilgrims landed. When European settlers arrived, they saw the pumpkins grown by Native Americans. Pumpkins soon became a staple in their diets, too. The pilgrims also brought seeds back to Europe, where they quickly became popular. Just like today, early settlers used pumpkins in a wide variety of recipes, from desserts to stews and soups. In addition to cooking with pumpkins, they also dried the shells and cut strips to weave into mats.
Early settlers made pumpkin pie by filling a hollowed-out pumpkin shell with milk, honey, and spices. Then, they baked it. However, whether they learned this from Native Americans is not known.
Native Americans and early colonists preserved pumpkins by drying them. The skin was peeled and the insides scooped out. The pulp was sliced and placed on drying racks or hung up to dry in the sun.
Also see: The History of the Jack O’Lantern
Halloween evolved, in part, from the Celtic tradition of All Hallow’s Eve.
Pumpkin carving evolved from the traditions of this annual event. But, it wasn’t pumpkins that Celic tribes carved in these ancient times. Pumpkins are native to America, and were not known to the Celtic people of Ireland. So, they carved turnips and rutabagas.
There are conflicting reports and documentation as to whether pumpkins were a part of the first Thanksgiving meal of the Pilgrims and the Indians, or whether it was the second Thanksgiving celebration the following year. We do know that pumpkins were a staple of the Indians long before the arrival of the pilgrims. And from that time forward, pumpkins have been, and continue to be a tradition at the Thanksgiving feast.
Not only is it associated with the meal itself, but the pumpkin has adorned and decorated homes and communities in honor of this event for hundreds of years.
Certainly, we believe pumpkins should be our national fruit. They were at the early Thanksgiving feasts of the pilgrims and Indians. They were there at the first Independence Day celebration, long before Johnny Appleseed dropped his first apple seed into the ground. Sure, pumpkin fruit was not ripe during the Fourth of July. But, back then Americans ate more vegetables. This included pumpkin and squash flowers (get the recipe). Pumpkin leaves were also used in salads.
Did you know?!? Turkey was almost our National Bird. In a vote in Congress, the bald eagle won out over the Turkey as our national bird. Had this happened, we all would be eating crow, err Bald Eagle for Thanksgiving dinner!
Pumpkins are rich in Vitamin A and potassium. They are also high in fiber. The conclusion you should now be reaching, is that they are therefore good for you. Your conclusion is absolutely correct…..until you start adding other ingredients that make up many pumpkin recipes. See Pumpkin Nutrition.
From a medicinal standpoint, pumpkins have been used for a variety of ailments:
Pie and Cheesecake, and many other recipe, include eggs and whole milk(or half and half). In addition, the recipes sometimes call for heavy doses of salt. The end product is outstanding in taste, and all but taboo for today’s cholesterol and salt conscious population.
Check out our Cookbook for some of these recipes. Also, pay attention to our recommendations to use less salt, and try salt and egg substitutes.
Did you Know? Native Americans fed pieces of pumpkin to their horses.
A sizable number of movies were made with pumpkin and Halloween themes. Most memorable perhaps is the pumpkin chariot in Cinderella.
Music:
While true pumpkin lovers cringe at the name, there is a band called “Smashing Pumpkins”.
