For many of us, the autumn season means pumpkins! These iconic orange-yellow squashes are part of most fall celebrations and holidays, including both Thanksgiving and Halloween. Since the latter is right around the corner, we thought we’d share some information about pumpkins, how pumpkins grow, how to use pumpkins, and the fascinating history of this genuinely beautiful plant. So, as always, let’s dig in and learn a bit!
Where Do Pumpkins Come From?
Pumpkins are winter squashes, meaning that they’re members of the genus Cucurbita and thus related to zucchini, crookneck, and patty-pan squash among others. The word “pumpkin” refers to any of several winter squash varietals—there’s no hard and fast scientific or botanical definition, it’s just a matter of social convention. Although the word “pumpkin” ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek word “pepon”, meaning melon, pumpkins themselves are New World plants. Although pumpkins and their relatives had been grown in the Americas for centuries before the arrival of Europeans, colonist likely first encountered them in what is now New England sometime in the 16th century.
As a larger winter squash, pumpkins were both relatively easy to grow and easy to preserve for future use. The cultivation of pumpkins spread rapidly, and soon after their introduction to Europe they were grown widely across that continent, and spread further into Asia. Today people all over the world grow pumpkins and other Cucurbita species as food, as gourds, or just for decorations.
How Do We Use Pumpkins?
We may mostly think of them as Halloween decorations or the main ingredient in pumpkin pies, but the reality is that pumpkins have a wide variety of uses in various places around the world. As with most Cucurbita species, almost all parts of the pumpkin are edible and the fruit, leaves, flowers, and seeds are all used in various cuisines all across the globe. Fried squash blossoms—including pumpkins—are a favorite food in many places from the Mediterranean to the Southern US to parts of Mexico. The leaves are used in soups, stews, and other dishes in places as diverse as Italy and Sub-Saharan Africa. Pumpkin seeds—often roasted—are a popular snack around the world. And of course the flesh of the pumpkin fruit itself can be used in many ways: pureed to make pies or pastries, diced and included in soups, stews, and stir-fries, battered and fried on its own, or roasted on the grill. There are so many pumpkin recipes that it would be impossible for us to list them all, but we’re betting you can find some good recipes online with just a little searching—or by clicking some of the links we’ve included here!
Growing pumpkins is fairly easy—they like the same conditions as zucchini, albeit most varietals of pumpkin take much longer to mature and may require more space. While pumpkins are most often associated with autumn, they’re really a warm-weather plant and best started in seed trays early in the spring and then moved outdoors after the risk of frost has passed. We’ll discuss growing pumpkins and other squash in a bit more detail as spring approaches, so stay tuned.
Pumpkin Myths, Legends, and Folklore
Carving pumpkins is an old tradition associated with the harvest season in both Northern Europe and the United States. The tradition itself actually came to be long before Europeans acquired pumpkins—they used to carve turnips, rutabagas, and other hard root veggies instead. The “jack-o-lantern” itself originates in Ireland as part of an old story about a mean-spirited man named Jack. There are many variations of the story, but the general narrative is that Jack was an unpleasant person who ran afoul of supernatural forces and was cursed to walk the earth forever. Some stories say this took place around Halloween, hence his association with the holiday and one of the reasons we carve pumpkins (and other veggies too).
As pumpkins were grown widely across North America long before Europeans came, there are many native myths and legends about them. Some cultures of the Southwestern US have traditional dances that celebrate the pumpkin as a symbol of the harvest and fertility. The Navajo, Hopi, and Pueblo nations all have clans named after the pumpkin. Back in the northeast, pumpkins play important role in traditional Huron and Haudenasaunee stories about the creation of the earth and how humans learned to grow food. You can probably see the theme developing here—in both Europe and the Americas pumpkins were often symbols of harvest time, the season of plenty, and the end of a successful growing season.
We hope this blog helped you learn a bit more about pumpkins and the important role they play in our gardens, in our kitchens, and in cultures all around the world. There’s always more to say and we may revisit it in a future blog. Until then, if you have any great pumpkin recipes we’d love it if you shared them!
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