Halloween isn’t complete without jack-o’-lanterns, and jack-o’-lanterns can’t be made without pumpkins.
Plenty of people are familiar with pumpkins thanks to their connection to Halloween and, of course, pumpkin pie, but few may know some of the more interesting aspects of this Halloween staple.
Courtesy of Newspaper Metro, the following are some interesting facts about pumpkins.
— Indigenous to the western hemisphere, pumpkins have been grown in North America for 5,000 years. But while they might be indigenous to the west, pumpkins can be grown in the eastern hemisphere as well.
According to contributors to the online pumpkin resource Pumpkin Nook, pumpkins are more popular in southern China than northern China.
— History.com notes that pumpkin seeds do not have a long planting season. Ideally, seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. That gives pumpkin lovers precious little time do their planting.
Once seeds are planted, pumpkin lovers must wait somewhere between 90 and 120 days for the pumpkins to grow. That makes October a great and popular time to do some picking.
– Pumpkin weighoffs have become popular events in many communities. At such events, growers of giant pumpkins bring their largest ones to be weighed.
In 2016, Belgian Mathias Willemijns grew a pumpkin that is believed to be the biggest ever grown. That pumpkin weighed an eye-popping 2,624.6 pounds.
— Pumpkins support heart health. Perhaps because they’re most often associated with pumpkin pie and pumpkin-flavored beer, the health benefits of pumpkins might go unnoticed. But pumpkins are rich in antioxidants that can help prevent damage to the eye, and the potassium found in pumpkins can have a positive impact on blood pressure.
Pumpkins also are a great source of beta-carotene, and some studies have linked diets rich in beta-carotene with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
–According to Fruits & Veggies — More Matters, a health initiative aiming to promote increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, pumpkins are fruits because they are products of the seed-bearing structures of flowering plants.
Pumpkins are part of the gourd family, which means they’re closely related to fruits such as cucumbers, honeydew melons and cantaloupes.
Pumpkins are as fascinating as they are tasty, proving they are more than just a ubiquitous Halloween decoration.