You can pick your pumpkins up outside a local store while running errands, or at a mom-and-pop pumpkin patch (possibly after a cozy little hayride!). You can place the pumpkins immediately on display, plan to carve them, decorate them in other unique ways (like with paint!), or prepare to make some truly mouthwatering homemade pumpkin pie. This seasonal staple provides plenty of opportunities to make meaningful memories, and it makes sense that with all this pumpkin fun, you might find yourself curious about the boo-tiful orange squash. Is a pumpkin considered a fruit or a vegetable? Which states produce the most pumpkins? How big was the heaviest pumpkin on record? It’s all here—these 25 pumpkin facts are gourd to go!
25 Facts About Pumpkins
- A pumpkin is, surprisingly, considered a fruit.
- The name “pumpkin” comes from the German word “pepon,” meaning “large melon.”
- It is believed that pumpkins originated in Central America over 7,500 years ago.
- Pumpkin seeds contain many health benefits as they’re filled with vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fatty acids.
- Pumpkin flowers are edible.
- There are more than 45 different kinds of pumpkins.
- Pumpkins are grown on every continent except Antarctica.
- About 90% of a pumpkin is water.
- The states that produce the most pumpkins include Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California.
- 80% of the pumpkin crop in the United States is available during October.
- For pumpkins to be ready by Halloween, they must be planted between late May to early July, depending on the location.
- According to the Morton Pumpkin Festival, “In 1978, the Governor of Illinois signed a proclamation that Morton, Illinois was the ‘Pumpkin Capital of the World’ since 85% of the world’s canned pumpkin was processed at their Libby’s Pumpkin plant.”
- Many people think of pumpkins as orange, but they can also appear in shades of white, yellow, red, blue, or green.
- Canned pumpkin is not actually just pumpkin, but made up of a variety of other squash.
- Pumpkin shells used to be woven into mats.
- Jack -o’-lanterns originated from an Irish myth, and before using pumpkins, people in Ireland and Scotland created these now-Halloween-staples with turnips and potatoes instead.
- Pumpkins were once thought to be a cure for snakebites.
- You should not carry a pumpkin by its stem, but use two hands instead.
- After a pumpkin is cut, it will usually last about seven to 10 days.
- Making pumpkin pies during the holidays became popular during the 1800s.
- The heaviest pumpkin, according to the Guinness World Records, came from Germany in 2016, weighing 2,624.6 lb.
- The largest pumpkin pie weighed in at 3,699 lb from New Bremen, Ohio, in 2010.
- The current record for most pumpkins carved in one hour by an individual is 109.
- The record for the most people carving pumpkins simultaneously is held at 1,060 people. This took place in New Mexico in 2013.
- The Guinness World Records reports that the fastest 100 m ever paddled in a pumpkin (you read that right!) has been 2 minutes 0.3 seconds, which was set in 2013. Check out:- 39 savory pumpkin recipes- 40 best pumpkin dessert and bread recipes- 32 greatest fall recipes- 21 pumpkin cake recipes
