Pumpkins have been associated with the fall holiday season for centuries. Most notably, they have a large part in Thanksgiving celebrations, and of course, Halloween. What would Halloween be without pumpkins?
Pumpkins are good food, as well as good fun. The pumpkin is a fruit, and a nutritious one at that. Just about everything about the pumpkin can be eaten, including the seeds, the flesh, and the flowers.
What we now call pumpkin pie originated in Colonial times. The top was cut off the pumpkin and the seeds were scraped out. Milk was put inside, along with spices and honey, and then it was baked in a bed of hot ashes. Sounds like it would be fun to try it, doesn't it? Probably turns into a yummy custard.
Over 1 Billion pounds of pumpkins are produced in the USA annually, with Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California giving us the most. And almost 95% of pumpkins grown for processing come from Illinois -- who knew??
Growing large pumpkins for competition is serious business, too. Every year for the past several, the record has been broken. The record currently belongs to Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wi. He brought his 1810.5 pound pumpkin, to the Stillwater Harvest fest in Stillwater, Minnesota, on October 9, 2010, and walked away with the prize. You can see a picture of Chris and his pumpkin here.
This year a new record was set for the largest pumpkin pie on record, too. Watch the video below and be prepared to be amazed!
