Pumpkin seeds are planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. Pumpkins love themselves some warm weather. They spend between 90 and 120 days growing and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color.
Antarctica is the only continent where pumpkins are not grown. But I suppose you could have guessed that one.
A single pumpkin contains about 500 seeds. Pumpkin seeds are high in magnesium, fiber and antioxidants, making them a popular snack in recent years.
As of 2018, the pumpkin spice flavor is a $600 million industry. Over $109 million of that is dog food. Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently our furry friends really enjoy the pumpkin flavor… or at least we think they do.
Pumpkins were first grown in Central America and Mexico. They were not like our big orange ones that we carve for Halloween, but more of a small, ugly, step-cousin.
Pumpkins were first carved in Ireland.
Carving pumpkins began as a Celtic tradition. The Irish people believed that the carving of turnips and rutabagas would ward-off evil spirits. Irish immigrants in America discovered pumpkins were a much better substitute for those gourds. Hence, the carving of pumpkins each year around Halloween.
The earliest pumpkin pie made in America was not the same thing we enjoy today. Pilgrims and early settlers made pumpkin pie by hollowing out a pumpkin, filling the shell with milk, honey and spices and baking it. Let’s just take a moment of silence for those who were never able to experience a modern-day pumpkin pie.
Illinois produces 3-5 times more pumpkins than the rest of the states in the USA. The top 6 states for growing pumpkins in the U.S. are Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California.