Pumpkin Facts: More Than Just Halloween

It’s that time of year when pumpkins take center stage. I could talk about pumpkin spice, which is an alarmingly controversial topic…people either hate it or love it. I say live and let live, or as Walz would say…’mind your own damn business.’ All joking aside, I am not going to talk about pumpkin spice. Instead, I want to broaden the topic and tell you all about pumpkins. In my research, here’s what I learned:

Scientists believe that pumpkins originated in North America as long ago as 9,000 years. Well, possibly, because the oldest pumpkin seeds were discovered in Mexico, and they put the timeframe somewhere between 7,000 and 9,000 years ago. Apparently, they were a vital food source for the people of Central and North America.
The French introduced pumpkins to Tudor England. In addition to becoming a staple food, it was also used for medicinal purposes because all parts of the plant were believed to possess healing properties.
Irish immigrants brought us the tradition of carving pumpkins. In Ireland, they used to carve demonic faces out of turnips to scare away the wandering soul of Stingy Jack. Since pumpkins were easier to carve, the immigrants made the switch from turnips to pumpkins.
The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word “peopin,” which translated, means large melon. The word evolved to “pompon” in French and “pumpion” in Britain. Americans were the ones to change it to pumpkin.
Over 45 different varieties of pumpkin exist today, with a wide variety of colors, including orange, red, yellow, and green. It is technically a fruit but is considered a winter squash.
Pumpkins are a bit like watermelon in that they are 92% water.
Pumpkins are used in a variety of foods, from desserts to salads. They are an excellent source of potassium, Vitamin A, and beta-carotene.
Finally, an astounding 1.5 billion pounds, yes billion with a B, are produced each year. That’s a whole heck of a lot to eat, carve, smash, and set out as decorations.

Of course, pumpkins are closely associated with Halloween, and I certainly have several Halloween short stories, in addition to a Thanksgiving novella. To be honest, I may not have ever given pumpkins the respect they deserve in these stories, but at least I used pumpkins on the cover in this free short story that I offer to all of you to make up for this travesty of completely ignoring them in my stories: https://www.wattpad.com/story/336645266-vampire-pussy-cat I hope that will not stop you from checking out my work. You know the drill…just click on the links below. Don’t forget that hot off the press is Love Sins on Audible!

Love Sins Available Now!