Lets all celebrate the pumpkin............yay!
Lets be honest, it's a very versatile thing, so whether you want to know how to grow one, how to carve one or even how to dress like one, it's all here in one place..........well thank goodness for that!!
Lets be honest, it's a very versatile thing, so whether you want to know how to grow one, how to carve one or even how to dress like one, it's all here in one place..........well thank goodness for that!!
They even have their own very important pumpkin day. Halloween is the day they get to show us all their smiling faces - yes Halloween is the equivalent of the Oscars for the humble pumpkin.
And lets face it , every year they compete to out do each other in sometime very spectacular fashion. Most of them seem happy about it any...I think!!!
How good must it feel to know you can provide all that entertainment, happiness, oh and pie. Yes it must be very satisfying being a pumpkin.
So, Halloween aside just for a moment, how about making a pumpkin pie, well that's here, maybe you feel an irresistible urge to dress up like one, well that's here too. Of course none of this would be possible unless we knew how to grow them, so that's here too!!!
Oh how can there be so much pumpkin fun in one place?
Click on any of the Pumpkin pages on the left for more details on any of the pumpkin activities that tickle your fancy....go on..........you know you want to!!!
Some Lovely Pumpkin Facts!!
Pumpkins are members of the gourd family, along with marrow, zucchini, squash and watermelon........yes watermelon.
They are known as Curcurbits. They are fairly vigorous plants with big leaves, trumpet shaped flowers and yes, they get totally out of control and need lots of space.
They come in loads of different shapes and sizes. Not only can you eat the fruit, but the seeds and flowers are also rather tasty too.
Pumpkins originated in South America, where that have been part of the staple diet for centuries.
They are extremely popular in North America, and that popularity is slowly spreading to the UK.
Pumpkins are in fact winter squash. The name pumpkin is given to the distinctive large round winter squashes to separate them from the other members of the family.
Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A, and their seeds can be roasted as a snack. Native Americans use the seeds as medicine and for food.
The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word 'popon,' meaning large melon. Pumpkins are 90% water, and are classed as a fruit.
The many different varieties of pumpkin mean that they can range in size from less than 1lb to over 1000lbs.
Morton Illinois is the unofficial pumpkin capital of the world - not sure you can have an official one!!
Originally pumpkin was used to make the crust of a pie, rather than the filling.
Pumpkin carving was taken to the USA by the Irish - apparently it was much easier than carving a turnip - thinking about it, as they're all members of the same funny, I guess there's nothing to stop you carving a melon or even a marrow - now that would be interesting!!
Some Record Breaking Pumpkin Facts
The current heaviest pumpkin weighed a massive 821.23 kg (1,810 lb 8 oz)
The largest pumpkin pie currently measures just over 12 feet long and weighs 2020lbs
Records yet to be broken include:
The most Jack O' Lanterns lit in one place currently standing at 30,128. This was set in 2006 Boston USA
The Largest Jack O' Lantern carving was in 2007, by Scott Cully. Made from a pumpkin weighing 1689lbs
In 2009, a pumpkin was fired a massive 4,623 feet from a 'Big 10 inch' air cannon
All these and more halloween and pumpkin facts can be found at the Guinness World Records site.
