Happy Halloween! Every year as October 31st approaches, children, teenagers and adults alike gather to select the finest pumpkins from the patch to place on display for trick-or-treaters. Whether this orange fruit remains whole or is carved into a jack-o’-lantern, pumpkins seem to always play a major role in the celebration of Halloween. So before you finish carving your pumpkin or applying the last bit of make-up for your costume, we would like to pose one question, “How much do you know about this Halloween showpiece?”

Did you know?
• The average pumpkin weighs 15 to 30 pounds at maturity.

• The plant is a green bushy vine that produces blossoms that are either male or female. Bees help transfer pollen from male flowers to female flowers and only the pollinated female flower will grow into a pumpkin.

• Flowers produced before the plant matures are edible.

• The mature pumpkin is 90% water.

• The seeds are a source of protein and iron while containing potassium and Vitamin A.

• Farmers can use the pumpkin for livestock feed.

• In earlier years, pumpkins were believed to remove freckles and treat snakebites.

• Pumpkin extract boosts levels of insulin-producing beta cells and can increase insulin in the blood.

• Seeds may help reduce risk or prostate cancer and heart disease.

• Pumpkins have no cholesterol.

• Along with squash and cucumbers, the pumpkin is a member of the Cucurbita family.

• The scientific name for the seed is Cucurbia pepo.

• The Native Americans called the orange, round gourds, “isquotm squash.”

So, take a moment out today and reflect on the many attributes and features of our favorite Halloween fruit!

Links to resources used:
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/facts/health.htm
http://www.pumpkin-patch.com/facts.html
http://42explore.com/pumpkins.htm
http://www.physorg.com/news103170537.html
http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/halloween-pumpkin-seeds-antioxidant.html