Envoy at 17:17, 1 November 2007

2007-11-01T17:17:45Z

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{{Cleanup|date=December 2006}}

{{otheruses}}

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Pumpkin
| image = Pumpkins.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| regnum = [[Plantae]]
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Cucurbitales]]
| familia = [[Cucurbitaceae]]
| genus = '''''[[Cucurbita]] spp.'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
''[[Cucurbita maxima|C. maxima]]''<br>
''[[Cucurbita mixta|C. mixta]]''<br>
''[[Cucurbita moschata|C. moschata]]''<br>
''[[Cucurbita pepo|C. pepo]]''<br>
}}

A '''pumpkin''' is a [[Squash (plant)|squash]] [[fruit]] that grows as a [[gourd]] from a trailing vine of certain species in the genus ''[[Cucurbita]]''. Although native to the [[Western hemisphere]], pumpkins are cultivated in [[North America]], continental [[Europe]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[India]] and some other countries. ''[[Cucurbita]]'' species referred to as ''pumpkins'' include ''[[Cucurbita pepo]]'', ''[[Cucurbita maxima]]'', ''[[Cucurbita mixta]]'', and ''[[Cucurbita moschata]]''.

The pumpkin varies greatly in form, but is generally [[oblong]] or [[ovoid]] in shape. The rind is smooth and varies in color between [[cultivar|cultivars]]. Although orange is the most common color, some fruits are dark green, pale green, orange-yellow, white, red and gray. Large specimens acquire a weight of 40 to 80 [[pound (mass)|lb]] (18 to 36 [[kilogram|kg]]), but smaller fruits are more frequently encountered.

Although the pumpkin is [[Botany|botanically]] classified as a [[fruit]] (the ripened ovary of a flowering plant), it is widely regarded as a [[vegetable]]. The pumpkin's insides are commonly eaten, [[cooking|cooked]] and served in dishes such as [[pumpkin pie]], pumpkin bread, and pumpkin soup; the [[seeds]] can be roasted for consumption as well.

==Cultivation==
{{globalize}}
{{main|Pumpkin cultivation}}
[[Image:Pumpkins Field.jpg|thumb|200px|Pumpkins growing in a field]]
Pumpkins have historically been [[pollination|pollinated]] by the native [[squash bee]] ''Peponapis pruinosa'', but this bee has [[Pollinator decline|declined]], probably due to [[pesticide]] sensitivity, and today most commercial plantings are pollinated by [[honeybee]]s. One hive per acre (4,000 m² per hive) is recommended by the United States of America (US) Department of Agriculture. Gardeners with a shortage of bees, however, often have to [[hand pollination|hand pollinate]]. Inadequately pollinated pumpkins usually start growing but abort before full development. An opportunistic [[fungus]] is also sometimes blamed for abortions.
[[Image:NKN-2007-09-01 125930 Pumpkins field (Yvan Leduc author for Wikipedia).jpg|thumb|left|200 px|'' Pumpkin Field]]
Pumpkins have male and female flowers, the latter distinguished by the small ovary at the base of the petals. The bright, colorful flowers are short-lived and may open for as little as one day.

==Cooking==
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Pumpkin, raw| kJ=111| protein=1.0 g | fat=0.1 g | satfat=0.05 g | monofat=0.01 g | polyfat=0.01 g | carbs=6.5 g | fiber=0.5 g | | sugars=1.36 g | sodium_mg=1 | iron_mg=0.8 | calcium_mg=21 | magnesium_mg=12 | phosphorus_mg=44 | potassium_mg=340 | zinc_mg=0.32 | vitC_mg=9 | vitE_mg=1.06 | vitK_mcg=1.1 | pantothenic_mg=0.298 | vitB6_mg=0.061 | folate_ug=16 | thiamin_mg=0.05 | riboflavin_mg=0.110 | niacin_mg=0.6 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }}

When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked, or roasted, or made into various kinds of [[pumpkin pie|pie]], a traditional staple of Canadian and American Thanksgiving, alone or mixed with other fruit; while small and green it may be eaten in the same way as the vegetable [[squash (fruit)|marrow]]. It can also be eaten [[mashed pumpkin|mashed]] or incorporated into [[soup]]. If milk is poured into a pumpkin and baked, it can be made into a pudding. In the [[Middle East]], pumpkin is used for sweet dishes; a well-known sweet delicacy is called ''halawa yaqtin''. In South Asian countries such as [[India]], pumpkin is cooked with butter, sugar, and spices; this dish is called ''kadu ka halwa''. In [[Australia]], pumpkin is often roasted in conjunction with other vegetables. In [[Japan]], small pumpkins are served in savory dishes, including [[tempura]]. In [[Thailand]], small pumpkins are steamed with custard inside and served as a [[dessert]]. Finally, pumpkin can be used to flavor both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

==Pumpkin seeds==
The hulled or semi-hulled seeds of pumpkins can be roasted and eaten as a snack, similar to the [[sunflower]] seed. Pumpkin seeds can be prepared for eating by first separating them from the orange pumpkin flesh, then coating them in a generally salty sauce ([[Worcestershire sauce]], for example), after which the seeds are distributed upon a baking sheet, and then cooked in an oven at a relatively low temperature for a long period of time.

Pumpkin seeds are a good source of [[iron]], [[zinc]], [[essential fatty acid]]s, [[potassium]], and [[magnesium]]. Pumpkin seeds may also promote [[prostate]] health since components in pumpkin seed oil appears to interrupt the triggering of prostate cell multiplication by [[testosterone]] and DHT.<ref name="whfoods">[http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=82#healthbenefits World's Healthiest Foods]</ref> Removing the white hull of the pumpkin seed reveals an edible, green-colored seed inside that is commonly referred to as a ''[[pepita]]'' in North and [[South America]].

One gram of pumpkin seed protein contains as much [[tryptophan]] as a full glass of milk <ref>[http://www.whitbymentalhealthcentre.ca/newsOct15.htm]</ref>.

[[Austria]] is a well-known producer of [[pumpkin seed oil]].

==Pumpkin information==
{{Trivia|date=September 2007}}
* The pumpkin is the state fruit of [[New Hampshire]].
* The largest pumpkin on record weighed 1689 lb (766 kg) and was grown by Joe Jutras in 2007. The largest pumpkins are really [[squash (fruit)|squash]], ''Cucurbita maxima''. They were culminated from the hubbard squash genotype, crossed with kabocha-pumpkin types by enthusiast farmers through intermittent effort since the early 1800s. As such germplasm is commercially provocative, a U.S. legal right was granted for the rounder phenotypes, levying them as constituting a variety, with the appellation "[[Atlantic Giant]]." Processually this phenotype graduated back into the public domain, except now it had the name Atlantic Giant on its record (see USDA PVP # 8500204).
* If you multiply the number of fruiting sections in a field pumpkin (''C. pepo'' variety) by 16 it is the number of seeds in the pumpkin, give or take 10 or so. Guessing the number of seeds in the pumpkin is a game sometimes played by children.
* Pumpkins are orange because they contain massive amounts of [[lutein]], alpha- and beta-[[carotene]]. These nutrients turn to [[vitamin A]] in the body.
* In Korea and Japan, the word translating to "pumpkin" is a slang term for an unattractive woman.<ref>[http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2007/07/quickie-post.html]</ref> In the [[American South]] and Midwest, however, the term "pumpkin" is sometimes used as an endearment.

==Activities involving pumpkins==
===Halloween===
[[Image:Pumpkin.Halloween.jpg|thumb|130px|A pumpkin carved into a [[Jack-o'-lantern]] for [[Halloween]].]]
Using pumpkins as lanterns at [[Halloween]] is based on an ancient Celtic custom brought to America by Irish immigrants.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} All Hallows Eve on [[31 October]] marked the New Year of the [[Celtic calendar]] year, the [[Samhain|Festival of Samhain]], and on that night hollowed-out [[turnip]]s, [[beet]]s and [[rutabaga]]s with candles inside them were placed on windowsills and porches{{Fact|date=August 2007}} to welcome home the spirits of deceased ancestors and ward off evil spirits and a restless soul called "Stingy Jack," hence the name "[[Jack-o-lantern]]".
On Halloween night, [[Linus Van Pelt]] of the [[comic strip]] [[Peanuts]] waits in a pumpkin patch for "[[the Great Pumpkin]]", a fictional pumpkin with many of [[Santa Claus]]'s characteristics, which seems to exist only in his imagination.

===Chucking===
[[Pumpkin chucking]] is a competitive activity in which teams build various mechanical devices designed to throw a pumpkin as far as possible. [[Catapult]]s, [[trebuchet]]s, [[ballista]]s and [[air cannon]]s are the most common mechanisms. Some pumpkin chuckers grow special varieties of pumpkin, bred and grown under special conditions intended to improve the pumpkin's chances of surviving being thrown.

===Pumpkin festivals===
Pumpkin growers often compete to see whose pumpkins are the most massive. Festivals are often dedicated to the pumpkin and these competitions.

[[Circleville, Ohio]], holds a big festival each year, the [[Circleville Pumpkin Show]].

[[Image:CompetitivePumpkins.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Competitive Weight Pumpkins]]
[[Half Moon Bay, California]], holds the annual Pumpkin and Arts Festival which includes the World Champion Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Farmers from all over the west compete to determine who can grow the greatest gourd <ref>[http://www.miramarevents.com/weighoff/facts.html]Gargantuan Gourd Weigh-Off</ref>. The winning pumpkin regularly tops the scale at more than 1200 pounds. The Pumpkin Festival draws over 250,000 visitors each year.<ref>[http://www.miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/history.html]History of Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival </ref> [[Morton, Illinois]], the self-declared pumpkin capital of the world,<ref name="morton">[http://www.pumpkincapital.com/index.php?option=displaypage&Itemid=52&op=page&SubMenu= Morton Pumpkin Festival]</ref> has held a Pumpkin Festival since 1966. The town, where [[Nestlé]]'s pumpkin packing plant is located (and where 90% of canned pumpkins eaten in the US are processed) carved and lit pumpkins in one place, a record which the town held for several years before losing it to [[Boston, Massachusetts]] in 2006. A large contributor of pumpkins to the festival is local [[Keene State College]] which hosts an event called "Pumpkin [[Lobotomy]]" on their main quad. Usually held the day before the festival itself, Pumpkin Lobotomy has the air of a large party, with the school providing pumpkins and carving instruments alike (though some students prefer to use their own) and music provided by college radio station, WKNH. The 2007 Pumpkin Fest is scheduled for Saturday, October 20.
===Giant pumpkin records===
The world record pumpkin for 2007 is 1689 pounds grown by Joe Jutras in Topsfield, MA<ref>http://pumpkinnook.com/</ref>

==See also==
{{commonscat|Pumpkin}}
*[[List of vegetables]]
*[[Pumpkin Fest]]
*[[Pumpkin Queens]]
*[[Pepitas]]
*[[Vegetable juice]]
*[[List of culinary fruits]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Pumpkin with stalk.jpg|Pumpkin attached to a stalk
Image:Giant_Pumpkin_Species.jpg|Common "Giant" Pumpkin variety
Image:FemalePumpkinFlower_closed_small.jpg|Immature Female Pumpkin Flower
Image:Garden_jul2006_small.JPG|Male Pumpkin Flower (Open)
Image:painted pumpkins.jpg|Painted mini pumpkins on display in [[Ottawa]], [[Canada]]
Image:Keene pumpkin festival 1.jpg|A few of the tens of thousands of pumpkins on display at the 2000 Keene [[Pumpkin Fest]]
</gallery>

==References==
<references />
* [http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=82 Pumpkin seeds on The worlds Healthiest Foods], The George Mateljan Foundation.
* [http://www.agr.state.il.us/newsrels/r1022041.html Illinois Leads Nation in Pumpkin Production], Illinois Department of Agriculture.
* [http://www.bigpumpkins.com/viewarticle.asp?id=115&gid=32 The Largest Pumpkin Ever], bigpumpkins.com.
* [http://www.pumpkinfestival.org/worldrecord.html Keene Pumpkin Festival], list of world records.

==External links==
* [http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Squash.asp Squash Display at Missouri Botanical Garden] - Pics of 150 varieties from The Great Pumpkin Patch, Arthur, IL
* [http://www.backyardgardener.com/RUPP.HTM Pumpkin Varieties] - backyardgardener.com, site focused on North-Eastern U.S.
* [http://gourmet.ninemsn.com.au/gourmettraveller/features/features132.asp April 2004 – In season] describes several varieties available in Australia.
* [http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/variety.htm Pumpkins - Lots and lots of Varieties!] - American pumpkin varieties, arranged by species.
* [http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/ingredients/pumpkin.php#recipes Pumpkin Recipes] - Recipe suggestions for pumpkins.
*[http://www.pumpkincarving101.com/] - Pumpkin Carving.

[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[Category:Cucurbitaceae]]
[[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]]
[[Category:Vegetable-like fruits]]
[[Category:Squashes and pumpkins|*]]
[[Category:Halloween food]]

Pumpkins - Revision history

Envoy at 17:17, 1 November 2007