Blog article by Nancy Forrest
Recently, I volunteered at the Vacaville Museum to assist patrons in making decorative pumpkins for the fall season. They brought their own pumpkins, and the museum provided the decorative materials. We supplied succulents, moss, and various fall plantings and embellishments. I have attached some pictures of the pumpkins that were made ( Figure 1). This article isn’t about how to decorate a pumpkin; it’s more about satisfying my curiosity about what pumpkins are. I learned that they are actually a type of squash from the Cucurbita family.
Although pumpkins are technically classified as fruit, in the culinary world, they are more often treated and used as a vegetable. There are more than 100 different types. Some of the most popular varieties include Atlantic Giant, Sugar Pie, Baby Bear, Autumn Gold, and the Fairytale, whose name likely originated from their resemblance to the magical pumpkin carriage in the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. Each of these types is suited for a specific purpose. For example, Atlantic Giant pumpkins are often grown for competitions, such as the popular pumpkin carving show “Halloween Wars.” While the Sugar Pie, Baby Bear, and Fairytale are commonly used in cooking due to their sweet and flavorful flesh. Autumn Gold pumpkins, known for their vibrant color, are a favorite for decorative purposes. This becomes especially apparent during holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, when pumpkins are featured everywhere.
Some fun facts I learned while researching pumpkins: The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word pepon, meaning “melon.” They originated in Central America, and Native Americans cultivated them and taught the Pilgrims how to grow them. Pumpkins were once considered a remedy for freckles and snakebites. The latest U.S. record (2019) for the largest pumpkin ever grown weighed in at 2,517.5 pounds by Karl Haist of Clarence Center, New York.
Pumpkins have been associated with magic, wonder, transformation, and hope, as depicted in various fairy tales and folklore. The Celtic Festival “Shamhain” honors the ancestors who have crossed into the Otherworld and is the last harvest before winter. During this time, they carved vegetables as lanterns to ward off bad spirits; pumpkins replaced the vegetables over time. The carved lanterns became known as “jack-o’-lanterns.” For Wiccans, it is the most important of the Greater Sabbats and the time when the sun God dies, to be reborn later at Yule.
Thumbnail Image by katerina zhang from Pixabay