The following information is copied from a brochure recently received from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. I thought you might find it interesting.
From Baking to Flight, This Fruit Does it All
What comes to mind when you think of fall? Chances are the first item that popped into your head is the icon of the harvest season – the pumpkin. Commonly seen during fall months across the U.S., pumpkins have come to represent the harvest bounty and the tie together the major two holidays of the seasons, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Origins of An Icon
The pumpkin is believed to have originated in Central America; some seeds have been found in Mexico that date back over 7,000 years to 5550 B.C. The word pumpkin, however, has a shorter history. “Pumpkin” originated from the Greek word “pepon,” meaning large melon. The French changed the pronunciation to “pompon,” which the English later revised to “pompion.” American colonists made the final pronunciation change from “pumpion” to “pumpkin.”
Although Europeans influenced the pronunciation, natives across the Americas popularized the cultivating and use of pumpkins. Native Americans used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before any European landed on the shores of North or South America. Native groups used pumpkins in a variety of recipes, from desserts to stews and soups, using all parts of the pumpkin. Besides being a food source, pumpkins were used for a variety of other uses – including mats woven from dried strips.
Pumpkins are grown across the globe; in fact, they are grown in six of the seven continents. Only Antarctica has a climate that is unable to support pumpkin cultivating. And that’s too bad for its inhabitants. Pumpkins are loaded with healthy vitamins, like vitamin A and potassium, and are high in fiber. Maybe that’s why it’s the first food item we think of related to the fall harvest season.
The next time you reach for a pumpkin to carve a jack-o-lantern, decorate your home or make a delicious pumpkin pie, you may have a little more appreciation for this versatile fruit…and vegetable.
Just the Facts
Pumpkins are actually a gourd-like squash of the genus CuCurbiat, which includes cucumbers.
A pumpkin is both a fruit, due to its inclusion of seeds, and a vegetable, as that term is purely culinary and not based on scientific specifications.
Weighing in at 1,689 pounds, the current crown holder of the world’s largest pumpkin was grown by Joe Jutras of Rhode Island.
The 2008 World Championship Punkin Chunkin world record holder for longest distance was set at 4,483.51 feet. The 2009 World Championship Punkin Chunkin takes place in Nassau, DE on November 6th, 7th and 8th, 2009. Visit http://www.punkinchunkin.com/ for more information.
From Baking to Flight, This Fruit Does it All
What comes to mind when you think of fall? Chances are the first item that popped into your head is the icon of the harvest season – the pumpkin. Commonly seen during fall months across the U.S., pumpkins have come to represent the harvest bounty and the tie together the major two holidays of the seasons, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Origins of An Icon
The pumpkin is believed to have originated in Central America; some seeds have been found in Mexico that date back over 7,000 years to 5550 B.C. The word pumpkin, however, has a shorter history. “Pumpkin” originated from the Greek word “pepon,” meaning large melon. The French changed the pronunciation to “pompon,” which the English later revised to “pompion.” American colonists made the final pronunciation change from “pumpion” to “pumpkin.”
Although Europeans influenced the pronunciation, natives across the Americas popularized the cultivating and use of pumpkins. Native Americans used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before any European landed on the shores of North or South America. Native groups used pumpkins in a variety of recipes, from desserts to stews and soups, using all parts of the pumpkin. Besides being a food source, pumpkins were used for a variety of other uses – including mats woven from dried strips.
Pumpkins are grown across the globe; in fact, they are grown in six of the seven continents. Only Antarctica has a climate that is unable to support pumpkin cultivating. And that’s too bad for its inhabitants. Pumpkins are loaded with healthy vitamins, like vitamin A and potassium, and are high in fiber. Maybe that’s why it’s the first food item we think of related to the fall harvest season.
The next time you reach for a pumpkin to carve a jack-o-lantern, decorate your home or make a delicious pumpkin pie, you may have a little more appreciation for this versatile fruit…and vegetable.
Just the Facts
Pumpkins are actually a gourd-like squash of the genus CuCurbiat, which includes cucumbers.
A pumpkin is both a fruit, due to its inclusion of seeds, and a vegetable, as that term is purely culinary and not based on scientific specifications.
Weighing in at 1,689 pounds, the current crown holder of the world’s largest pumpkin was grown by Joe Jutras of Rhode Island.
The 2008 World Championship Punkin Chunkin world record holder for longest distance was set at 4,483.51 feet. The 2009 World Championship Punkin Chunkin takes place in Nassau, DE on November 6th, 7th and 8th, 2009. Visit http://www.punkinchunkin.com/ for more information.
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