How well do you know about pumpkins? Here are 30 fun facts about pumpkins or pumpkin trivia to learn more about this Fall favorite fruit!
It’s pumpkin season! Those pretty orange globes are popping up on doorsteps everywhere. But how much do you really know about pumpkins? Sure, you probably know that they are in season in the fall, they are typically orange and they are available in all different sizes but there are many other fun pumpkin facts that you may want to learn.
Here are my favorite 30 facts about pumpkins that will help prepare you for any pumpkin trivia night this fall!
1. Pumpkins can be huge
The typical pumpkin that you use for carving weighs around 12-18 pound However, the largest pumpkin ever grown was 2,582 pounds! It was grown in New Hampshire and the man who grew this massive gourd won $6,000 for his first place pumpkin.
2. Pumpkins are gourds
Pumpkins are actually classified as gourds. Other members of the gourd family include cucumbers, watermelons, zucchini and honeydew melons.
3. Pumpkins can grow in a lot of places
Pumpkins are native to Central America, Mexico specifically. However, they are now grown on 6 continents and most likely turning ripe right about now on a farm near you!
4. Pumpkins are old
Pumpkins have been around for at least the last 5000 years. Archeological evidence suggests that pumpkins have been cultivated since around 3500 BC making it one of the oldest known crops in the Western hemisphere.
5. Pumpkin was “pepon”
The word pumpkin came from the Greek word “pepon” which means “large melon”. The French word for Pepon is “pompon” which American settlers morphed into pumpkin.
6. Lots of pumpkins!
The US produces about 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins each year. Many of these become pumpkin puree or other food sources. Of course, a lot of those pumpkins will grace Thanksgiving tables across the country!
7. Pumpkins take time to grow
You may not be thinking about pumpkins in May, but if you want one to grow by October, you should start planting in the spring! Pumpkin seeds take about 90 to 120 days to grow so those plants need to start sprouting by June to have a perfect orange pumpkin in the fall.
8. The Pumpkin Capital
Morton, Illinois is the self-proclaimed pumpkin capital of the world. This is also the home of the Libby company which is a pumpkin powerhouse of the food industry.
9. The Irish started the pumpkin carving trend
People of Ireland traditionally carved turnips to ward off evil spirits. When the Irish immigrated to the US, they found that it was a lot easier to carve pumpkins. Thus, the tradition of carving pumpkins began!
10. Watery pumpkins
Pumpkins are actually made up of 90% water. That may be why they are so heavy!
11. Big pumpkin pie
Pumpkin pie is probably the most common food that is made with pumpkins. The biggest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet wide and weighed over 350 pounds. It took 80 pounds of pumpkin to make the pie and 6 hours to bake it to perfection.
12. Pumpkins are healthy
Pumpkins are actually quite healthy as they are low in calories and carbs. They also contain potassium and vitamin A. You can feel good about taking a bite out of a big pumpkin!
13. Pumpkin rugs
Native Americans would take strips of pumpkins, flatten them and dry them into mats. Imagine having a rug made of pumpkin in your home! It would be quite festive.
14. The Connecticut Pumpkin
The traditional American pumpkin is a variety called the Connecticut pumpkin.
15. 73 Kinds of Pumpkins
There are currently 73 types of named pumpkin varieties in the world. From the small decorative pumpkins like the Jack-Be-Little to the heirloom, red Rouge Vif D’Etampes, each pumpkin variety is unique and has it’s own uses.
16. Hello, October
While you can find pumpkins (or at least pumpkin puree) year round, 80% of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.
17. Pumpkin as medicine
The oil from pumpkins can be used to treat bladder irritation, kidney infections and also symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. The oil and also the seeds are still used today in modern medicine!
18. Pumpkin bowls
Native Americans would often hollow out pumpkins, let them dry and then use them as bowls. The pumpkin bowls would store grains, beans and seeds.
19. You can eat the pumpkin flowers
Pumpkin flowers are actually edible. They are a perfect addition to a field greens salad or they can be enjoyed dipped in a light batter and fried. Pumpkin flower fritters are a fall delicacy!
20. Eat the seeds too!
Pumpkin seeds are also edible and make for a tasty, healthy snack. Roast the pumpkin seeds with a little salt or your choice of spices and you can enjoy them for days.
21. Pumpkin cures all
Pumpkins were once said to help remover freckles if the puree was applied to one’s face. Pumpkin was also used to cure snake bites! While pumpkins do have other medical benefits, we are pretty sure that they won’t actually remove your freckles…
22. Illinois Pumpkins
A whopping 95% of the pumpkins grown in the United States come from Illinois. That’s a lot of pumpkins for one small state!
23. Pumpkin beer traditions
You may think that pumpkin beer is a new, trendy drink but it actually has a long history. Pilgrims were into pumpkin beer hundreds of years ago thanks mainly to its abundant availability. Pumpkins served as an easily fermentable sugar for beer making needs.
24. No pie for pilgrims
Contrary to popular belief, pumpkin pie was not actually served at the original Thanksgiving feast of 1621. After all, there was no butter or flour back then to make a pie crust. A hollowed out pumpkin filled with milk, spices and honey may have been served but this has never been proven.
25. Pumpkins are a fruit
We mentioned that pumpkins are part of the gourd family but they are also considered to be a fruit. Those who always thought pumpkins were vegetable are wrong!
26. By the pound
Pumpkins are typically sold by the pound and the national average price is $.89 per pound. Of course, this price will vary depending on where you are located. Grocery store pumpkins will also likely be cheaper than those you pick at a local farm.
27. Pie pumpkins
Your big Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin will not make a good pie. The pumpkins that are grown for carving do not actually taste very good and are typically grown more for size than taste. A small sugar pumpkin is the best choice for baking.
28. Millions of Dollars
In 2019, Americans spent approximately $377 million dollars on pumpkins. The country sure was decorated well for fall after all that cash was used to buy our favorite fall gourd!
29. National Pumpkin Day
Every October 26th you can celebrate National Pumpkin Day. This unofficial holiday is a convenient day to carve our your pumpkin so it is ready for Halloween on the 31st!
30. All the pumpkin foods
There are many foods that can be made using pumpkins. To celebrate fall and pumpkin season, you can make so many delicious recipes with pumpkin, like…
pumpkin bread
pumpkin bars
pumpkin muffins
pumpkin ice cream
casserole
pie
pumpkin soup
pumpkin cheesecake
cake
seeds
rolls
sauce
lattes
pancakes
smoothies
pasta
If you’d like a few ideas for pumpkin recipes this Fall season, try a few of my pumpkin dessert recipes, pumpkin casserole or pumpkin soup recipes and get cooking and baking with pumpkins! 🙂
So what are you favorite pumpkin facts? Do you have any fun ones that we missed? And what do you plan to do with your pumpkins this fall? I know I am ready to turn on the oven and start baking some pumpkin goodies!
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A former school teacher, Jocelyn Brown created Hip Mama’s Place in 2007. Her motto for this blog is: get inspired, create and share! Jocelyn loves sharing about food and recipes, crafts, DIY projects and her random travels with her family. She also loves all things social media, but her latest obsession is Instagram.
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Thanks for all this fun pumpkin trivia! It really puts me in the mood for Fall and enjoying pumpkin spice treats!
So many interesting facts about pumpkins! I had no idea they help with snake bites!
I loved learning about these pumpkin fun facts. It’s so interesting to know all of these things.
So many fun things here I didn’t know about pumpkins! Thanks for sharing.
What a fun post to read! I never new Morton, Illinois was the capital for pumpkins! Learned so much!
Interesting facts. I did not know there were so many pumpkins varieties, good knowledge for me.
So many things about pumpkin that I just knew. I am not fan to eat pumpkin but I like pudding pumpkin. Anyway, i will call pumpkin, pepon since rite now. Its look like cute name.
Wow, I just knew that Pumpkin word is originally from Greek and it called “pepon”. Thank you for this.
T
Huh! There were so many cool pumpkin facts that I had absolutely NO idea about prior to today! Now I have some fun information to share with people for the autumn season!
These are some really fun facts you have shared.
I will be going to a pumpkin patch for the first time tomorrow. I didnt know they have been around for 5,000 years!
This is a really fun read, hahaha. Pumpkins are so pretty and adorable, but I am not a fan to eat it. ooopppsss…
I love your Pumpkin Trivia! I certainly learned a lot today. It’s very timely for the season.
What a fun post! I didn’t know a few of these fun facts about pumpkins. I haven’t baked pumpkin seeds for a long time. I think I will go out and buy a pumpkin today so that I can carve it and baked the seeds!
Oh wow .. I’m completely amazed by these facts. Now I see, ther’s so many things about pumpkins I seriously didn’t know. Great read. Thanks for sharing.
oh wow i had no idea about many of these facts at all , i must admit i love anything pumpkin related
I love this! I learned so much about pumpkins haha! I already knew about the irish tradition to carve turnips. Imagine how different halloween would be if they had never change to pumpkins,.
Wow, so much to know about pumpkins haha! The pumpkin carpet is my favorite one lol
Omg.. So much to know a pumpkin better. 😂 Didn’t know there is a pumpkin capital too.
So much interesting information! I’m going to share some of these fun facts around the Thanksgiving table.
I have not been made aware of some of these fab Pumpkin facts until now. Very interesting. Such a discovery today.
These ARE fun facts. You know I knew pumpkins were gourds, but I didn’t know most of these facts. I love everything fall, so I really enjoyed reading this.
I didn’t know there were so many types of pumpkin. When I moved to Australia, I was confused why I couldn’t find the same types of pumpkins that I could in the US. But now knowing that there are 73 different types, that makes total sense.
Thanks for this trivia of Pumpkin I learned lot about pumpkin now.
I looooove pumpkins and Fall! And I actually did know quite a few of these things. I did not know that Illinois produces so many and that Morton is the pumpkin capital. I would love to see what their pumpkin festival is like!
73 kinds of pumpkin? This is truly the first time I am hearing of this fact! All I knew was pumpkin….I didn’t imagine there were respective types to it.
Super fun trivia about pumpkins. I had no idea the name of the variety we typically use for carving.
Thanks for putting this together. Such a great documentation my dear. This fact is simply shocking for me “$377 million” wooow
I love pumpkin flowers. We make them fried and it’s so delicious. Everyone in my family loves it!
Some fun facts here! I am trying to get more Vitamin A in my diet and I love pumpkin, so who knew!
I love pumpkins!! I can’t believe they’re made out 90% water and there are over 70 types! Wow.
Pumkpins are so amazing. I knew alot of these fun facts, but some I didnt know. It is so awesome, that they grow in many places.
Pumpkins are such an icon in our culture. They are the usher of the winter.
I am really amazed and surprised with some of the items listed here. Such a good trivia to share!
Oh wow! These are some amazing Pumpkin facts. Most of these facts I didn’t know…I am going to make my daughter read this post too. I have never seen a big pumpkin yet…
My sister lives close to Morton and they always have a lot of fun fall stuff going on by them. Interesting facts!
I really didn’t know many of these before I read this. I just knew they were tasty in food and you could make Jack-O-Lanterns out of them. LOL
Pumpkin is a great fruit/vegetable. So healthy and versatile in many different applications (like you have mentioned). I have definitely learnt something new after reading your post!
I love how the facts about the pumpkins are very informative. I didn’t know it takes 120 days to grow those ones. I enjoy reading these specially it’s pumpkin season.
Wow,I didn’t know that pumpkins are considered fruits and that there’s an unofficial pumpkin day,these are fun facts indeed.
Here is another fun fact: a large percent of the dood in canned pumpkin isn’t pumpkin but a squash!
This is so fun to know!! I love pumpkins! Sharing these fun facts with my kids!
I buy sun dried pumpkin seeds every now and then, it’s delicious and they say it’s a source of folic acid. Thanks for mentioning this.
So many amazing facts here that I never knew before! I learned so much by reading this post!
Kileen
cute & little
This post is really informative. I had no idea about a lot of these facts.
We’ve been growing pumpkins for the past couple of years . Last year we grew one that weighed 80 lbs!
Fun facts! Crazy that they take 90-120 days to grow. I love growing them but they take up a lot of real estate in the garden.
I loved learning about pumpkins. Now I need to make a pumpkin pie.
This was such an interesting post, I have to admit I really did know next to nothing when it came to these facts!
This was such a fun read! I really didn’t know much about pumpkins other than that they were delicious and were fun to carve. LOL
How cool. I didn’t know a lot of these. I do know that I love my pumpkin treats.
I know now we are clearly into fall and everything pumpkin season. Those facts are a lot of fun and I never knew most of it including the oil as a remedy.