- The word “pumpkin” showed up for the first time in the fairy tale Cinderella.
A French explorer in 1584 first called them gros melons, which translates into Latin as pepon. It means large melon. It wasn’t until the 17th century that they were first referred to as pumpkins.
- Over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced each year in the United States.
The states that are top producers of pumpkin are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California. Pumpkins grow on every continent except Antarctica.
- The world’s largest pumpkin was more than five feet in diameter and weighed over 1,800 pounds.
It was presented in Minnesota in October 2010.
- Pumpkins are fruits.
More specifically, they are a winter squash in the family Cucurbitacae, which include cucumbers and melons.
- Each pumpkin has about 500 seeds.
They take between 90 and 120 days to grow. High in iron, they can be roasted to eat. The flowers that grow on pumpkin vines are also edible.
