Pumpkin Patch

Images:

My little granddaughter with a decorative pumpkin she is sure belongs to her.

A commercial pumpkin farm in rural Illinois. The crop is ready for harvesting and will be trucked to the canning factory.

The pumpkin is a fruit of the plant Cucurbita pepo. It forms on a trailing vine with heart-shaped leaves. The Greek word for "large melon" is "pepon."

Both the fruit's flesh and the seeds are valuable because of the nutrient content. 

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts(1 cup cooked, boiled, drained, without salt): Calories 49, Protein 2 grams, Carbohydrate 12 grams, Dietary Fiber 3 grams, Calcium 37 mg, Iron 1.4 mg, Magnesium 22 mg, Potassium 564 mg, Zinc 1 mg, Selenium .50 mg, Vitamin C 12 mg, Niacin 1 mg, Folate 21 mcg, Vitamin A 2650 IU, Vitamin E 3 mg.

High in beta-carotene, they are a favorite among vegetarians. Thought to reduce the risks of cancer, heart disease and some forms of aging. Figure one pound of raw, untrimmed pumpkin for each cup finished pumpkin puree.

Plant in full sun, well drained soil that is high in organic matter. They need plentiful and consistent moisture until fruits begin to fill out. This year was a perfect year for squash and pumpkins. They need lots of room to grow.

Direct seed into hills that are from 4-8 ft. apart after all danger of frost. Or, use transplants for an earlier start since you want them to mature before the first frost. Mulch plants to retain moisture, suppress weeds and discourage squash vine borers. Black plastic mulch speeds the growth process.

Harvest pumpkins before hard frosts, leaving one inch of stem. Cure in the sun for the longest storage then store in a cool, dark, dry place. I usually put a thick layer of newspapers under them on a dry basement shelf.

At the end of the season, remove all vines to reduce the chance of mildew next year.

Categories are: Miniature, Naked Seed, Cushaw, White Painting, Jumbo, Processing, Rouge Vif d-Etampes, and the Standard Oranges (small, intermediate, large.)

Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes.

The practice of making jack-o-lanterns originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack."

Some facts from the University of Illinois:

• 496 million pounds of pumpkins were produced in Illinois in 2008. Illinois is in the top 4 in pumpkin production.
• Around 90 to 95% of the processed pumpkins in the United States are grown in Illinois.
• Pumpkin flowers are edible.
• Pumpkins originated in Central America.
• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
• Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
• Bees are the primary pollinating insect for pumpkins. Insect sprays can kill bees.
• Snapping the stems from the vines results in many broken or missing "handles." Pumpkins without stems usually do not keep well.
• Wear gloves when harvesting fruit because many varieties have sharp prickles on their stems.