Pumpkin Facts (What You Want To Know Wednesdays)

 

How do you mend a broken Jack-o-lantern?

With a pumpkin patch!

 

It’s the time of the year when everyone is rushing to the pumpkin patch to wander through corn mazes, hop on hayrides, fly down giant inflatable slides, but most importantly, find that perfect pumpkin to carve a perfect design into. Soon everyone will be rushing to the grocery store to find the most delicious pumpkin to turn into a delectable holiday pie. Kick back and read some tips brought to us by: The Spruce, History.Com, and Pumpkin Patch.Com to help you pick the right pumpkin for your holiday needs.

The Spruce gives us excellent tips on picking the right pumpkin for food:

    • Choose a pumpkin that feels firm and heavy for its size.
    • Choose a pumpkin that has consistent coloring throughout.
    • Turn the pumpkin over and place pressure on the bottom with your thumbs. If it flexes or gives your pumpkin is not fresh.
    • Look for soft spots or...MORE open cuts that would indicate damage or early spoilage.
    • Choose a pumpkin with a solidly attached stem.
    • Don't worry about cosmetic blemishes or surface insect damage. They won't affect the taste.

 

The Spruce gives us excellent tips on picking the right pumpkin to carve:

  • You can carve any type of pumpkin, gourd or squash. A good carving pumpkin should be firm and healthy. Ideally you want one with a shell that is hard enough to protect it, but still allows you to get a knife through. Pumpkins with outer shells that feel as hard as a piece of wood are very difficult, and dangerous, to slice into.

  • Tap the pumpkin gently and listen for a slightly hollow sound. Lifting the pumpkin will also give you a good idea of how dense it is. The heavier the pumpkin, the thicker the walls. Thick walls block the candle light and carving details will be lost. If worse comes to worse, you can shave the walls from the inside.

  • The tall, oblong-shaped varieties tend to be stringier inside, making it difficult to make precise cuts.

  • Shape is up to your own taste, but test to see if your pumpkin has a good, balanced base to sit on, so it doesn’t roll over when you try to display it.

  • Don’t discount the smaller pumpkins entirely. They’re great for kids to carve and to use as decorations.

  • White pumpkins, like ‘Lumina’ give a spooky look to your jack-o'-lantern. They can also be painted more easily than orange pumpkins and most make great cooking pumpkins too.

  • Keep it in a cool spot, out of direct sunlight.

  • Spray it with an anti-transpirant, like Wilt-Pruf.

  • Drape the entire pumpkin with a damp towel.

  • Protect it from animals that might be tempted to take a bite.

  • Don’t leave it outdoors if there’s a threat of frost.

     

     Here are some fun pumpkin facts from History.Com and Pumpkin-Patch.Com:

  • The tradition of pumpkin carving started in Ireland; however, they used turnips and potatoes. It wasn’t until Irish immigrants arrived in America that they started using pumpkins.

  • Pumpkins are a part of the gourd family.

  • Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years.

  • Pumpkins can be grown on 6 out of 7 continents – but not Antarctica.

  • Seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June for a prime pumpkin patch. Pumpkins take 90-120 days to grow.

  • Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

  • In colonial times, pumpkins were used for the piecrust, not the filling.

  • Pumpkins are high in vitamin A and potassium.

  • Pumpkins are considered a fruit, not a vegetable because they contain seeds.

 

** thespruce.com // history.com // pumpkin-patch.com


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