It’s time to celebrate the most iconic fall item of all — the pumpkin!
October 26 is right in the midst of pumpkin frenzy. It’s the perfect time to carve that Halloween Jack-O-Lantern and you’re probably surrounded by pumpkin spice everything!
Here are a few fun facts about pumpkins to share with your friends:
- The United States produces 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins, with Illinois producing more than any other state. In fact, the self-proclaimed pumpkin capital of the world is Morton, Illinois.
- The word pumpkin originates from the word pepon, which means “large melon” in Greek.
- The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
- The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
- Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini. These plants are native to Central America and Mexico, but now grow on six continents.
Plus — with Thanksgiving coming up, now’s the time to try out your baking skills with the perfect pumpkin pie!
