articlesforchristians

Pumpkins are the fruit of a squash plant.

Facts about pumpkins:

1. Pumpkins are fruits not vegetables
   • It’s a widespread misunderstanding that pumpkins are vegetables, and there’s actually a good explanation for it.
   • In many cuisines worldwide, pumpkins are treated as vegetables and included in savory dishes since they aren’t as overly sweet as other fruits.
   • Since they grow from flowers and contain seeds, they are classified as fruits botanically, regardless of what culinary experts might claim.
2. Pumpkins grow from tiny fruits attached to flowers which grow off long vines.
   • Pumpkin plants have really long vines
3. Not all pumpkins are orange!
   • Have you ever seen a pumpkin in a color other than orange, like green or blue? And if you have, have you ever wondered why they aren’t more common?
   • The color of a pumpkin is determined by its genetic makeup. Through natural or artificial cross-breeding and hybridization, pumpkins can come in a variety of colors, including red, white, orange, yellow, or bluish-grey, often with mottled or speckled stripes.
   • It’s not easy to come across these exotic colors in most markets since they’re rare and highly sought after. If you do spot them, make sure to get your parents’ permission before buying, as they can be quite pricey.
4. Almost all parts of a pumpkin are edible
   • People eat pumpkin shells, seeds, flesh, and flowers. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin muffins are popular items made from pumpkin.
5. Pumpkins are native to North America
   • Recent studies suggest that pumpkins first originated in North America, particularly in northeastern Mexico and the southern United States, with the oldest pumpkin seeds discovered in Mexico.
6. Many people carve pumpkins into Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween.
   • Carving pumpkins on Halloween was an old Irish tradition.
     • Have you ever thought of jack-o-lanterns being made from anything other than pumpkins? Hard to imagine, right? Surprisingly, carving pumpkins is a fairly recent tradition. According to an old Irish folk tale, Stingy Jack was a cunning man who tried to trick the Devil for his own benefit. After his death, he was denied entry to both heaven and hell, leaving him to wander the earth and haunt people. To keep Jack away, the Irish began carving demonic faces into turnips. When they immigrated to America, they switched to pumpkins, which were native, larger, and easier to carve.
7. Some people compete to grow ‘Giant Pumpkins.’ The largest Giants can weigh more than 2000 pounds, close to what a small car weighs.
8. Other people build machines to throw pumpkins in pumpkin chunking contests. The team with the machine that throws the pumpkin farthest wins.