10 pumpkin facts for Thanksgiving and beyond
Thanksgiving is around the corner and in honor of the holiday, we're celebrating the great pumpkin!
If you like the bright gourds as much as we, you're going to love this collection of pumpkin facts and trivia that are positively spicy. After all, the pumpkin, in all its orange splendor, is an integral part of autumn from September right on through Turkey Day.
Pumpkins decorate our doorsteps, light up Halloween night when carved into spooky jack-o'-lanterns and top off Thanksgiving dinner when served up as pie. In essence, the gourd-ous gourd is the season's unofficial mascot.
To give the pumpkin all the recognition it deserves, we've gathered together (note our clever Thanksgiving pun right there) a list of pumpkin facts and trivia details that are, dare we say, puree gold.
But, seriously, we're here to put your pumpkin IQ to the test with some fascinating tidbits that you might not know about the squash. This includes whether or not pumpkins fall into the fruit or vegetable category, which states produce the most pumpkins annually and bushels of other fun facts on everything from what pumpkin colors mean to how many times David S. Pumpkins has appeared on "Saturday Night Live."
Orange you glad you asked? Even if you didn't, read on and we promise by the time you're done, you'll be a full-fledged pumpkin expert, the seed-E-O of the patch, or at the very least...soup-er knowledgeable.
So, let's not waste another minute, here's everything to know about the great pumpkin.
Pumpkins: Fruit or vegetable?
If you had to guess, would you slot pumpkins into the fruit family? Or do you consider the gourd a vegetable? Surprisingly, while many people consider it a vegetable due to its distinct savoriness, pumpkins are technically considered fruits because they begin as flowers and have seeds.
Sweet or savory, we enjoy them in all kinds of scrumptious recipes like pumpkin muffins, bread, cheesecake and everyone's Halloween favorite, roasted pumpkin seeds.
These states produce the most pumpkins
You ever wonder where the majority of pumpkins are grown? If you answered, "The patch," you'd be correct. But if you're curious which states produce the most gourds, we've got the answer. According to the USDA, these six states account for nearly 40% of all pumpkins harvested in the U.S. and they are:
Illinois
Pennsylvania
Indiana
Michigan
Virginia
California
The meanings behind pumpkin colors
As you may have noticed in recent years, pumpkins aren't just orange anymore. In fact, the glamorous gourds come in array of hues including white, grey, teal and a bounty of others.
Leatrice Eiseman, author and executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, breaks down the meaning behind a few of the most popular colors.
"Orange is, of course, the traditional color originally meant to celebrate the harvest, hence the fall colors. It also connotes whimsicality and a happy fulfilling time," Eiseman tells TODAY.com.
"There is a continuing interest in all things natural, hence the interest in white, the essence of purity and green pumpkins signify organic and healthy as in veggies and good nutrition," she says.
The most surprising of all? "The teal pumpkin is a signal that non-food is available for anyone with allergies."
The pumpkin capital of the U.S. is ...
More than 75% of the country’s canned pumpkin comes from just one place and that’s Morton, Illinois. Located between Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, the village of Morton is home to more than 17,000 residents and the Libby’s pumpkin canning plant.
The plant processes the locally-grown Dickinson pumpkins, which are harvested in August, leaving plenty time to ship it out for the holiday season.
Just imagine all the pies.
Pumpkin is the most popular pet costume
Each year, the demand for pet Halloween costumes grows exponentially and, according to the National Retail Federation, Americans were expected to spend just shy of a billion dollars outfitting Fluffy and Fido in 2023.
What's the most popular pet costume? You guessed it: The pumpkin.
In order of popularity, these are the runners up: Hot dog, bat, bumble bee and spider.
The heaviest pumpkin ever recorded by Guinness World Records is ...
2,749 pounds. According to Guinness, the record-breaking gourd was presented by Travis Gienger, a U.S. resident, on Oct. 9, 2023.
The previous record-holder was a 2,702 pound pumpkin grown by Stefano Cutrupi of Italy in 2021.
The name of this year’s newly-crowned pumpkin king is Michael Jordan because, according to Gienger, the gourd “started out basketball round.”
What percentage of Americans carve a pumpkin for Halloween?
Whether you opt for a no-carve jack-o'-lantern or go all out and carve up a masterpiece for Halloween each year, you're in good company.
According to a National Retail Federation survey, in 2023, 46% of Americans planned to carve a pumpkin in honor of the spooky holiday, which is up 2% from last year.
New Hampshire holds the world record for lit jack-o’-lanterns
Even if you go all out on Halloween and carve dozens of pumpkins, hundreds even, it won't hold a candle (how about that pun?) to that of Keene, New Hampshire, which boasts the record for most lit jack-o'-lanterns on display.
According to Guinness World Records, during the city’s annual Pumpkin Fest held on Oct. 19, 2013, a dazzling 30,581 jack-o’-lanterns were lit, breaking the world record.
There are A LOT of pumpkin varieties
Cindy Ott, author of the book "Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon," tells TODAY.com that when it comes to pumpkins, there are simply too many varieties to name.
That's because pumpkin and squash plants are the same botanically and are able to cross pollinate and reproduce.
"Historically, there's thousands, you can't even really separate," says Ott.
Through the years, however, one variety has become the most common for carving into jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween and that's the Connecticut Field pumpkin. Extra large, perfectly round, bright orange and boasting a sturdy handle, it's far and away the most popular.
The kinds of giant pumpkins you see winning blue ribbons at the fair are called Atlantic Giants, and they're cultivated to grow into extra-large gourds, often weighing hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.
As you've probably noticed, green, blue, white and grey pumpkins have also become increasingly popular, as well as teeny tabletop versions.
According to Ott, there are just as many pumpkin names as there are varieties.
"You have the Jack Be Little, you have the Dickerson, you have Cinderella," says Ott. "There's ghost pumpkins, those kind of white ones, Turks Turban is the cute squash...there's historically endless varieties."
'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' debuted in 1966
The most celebrated pumpkin of all time is one that exists only in the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and, of course, our hearts.
Schulz's animated special, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," follows Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Woodstock, Sally and the rest of the Peanuts gang as they navigate the ups and downs of trick-or-treating and celebrating Halloween.
The enduring TV movie first aired more than 50 years ago on Oct. 27, 1966 and remains a beloved classic to this day.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
