Welcome to Pumpkin Life, a site devoted to this hardy, humble, and versatile winter squash!
Where did our love of the pumpkin begin? Was it in our first taste of a creamy rich pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, or that smooth and warm tasty pumpkin soup that signaled the crisp dawn of Fall? Was it in our elementary school days of cutting orange construction paper pumpkins for decorations, or with the anticipation of a Halloween with salty roasted pumpkin seeds and a carving candle lit jack-o-lantern burning on the porch?
One thing is for certain, pumpkins are considered a true North American native and one of the first domesticated plants. Archaeologists have found evidence that these beauties have been providing humans (and animals) with a constant source of nutrition since between 7,000 and 5,500 B.C.
Anyone who has let their Halloween pumpkin melt into a frightening mass of goo only to find a sun seeking string of lovely vines sprouting from the ground weeks later knows these hardy gifts of nature are easy to grow.
Today there are over 300 types of pumpkins in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and uses for us to explore! These versatile chunks of rind, pulp, and seeds are part of the plant family that produces winter squash, gourds, summer squash, zucchini, and, believe it or not cucumbers. Pumpkins, and all squashes, are not vegetables as you might think, but fruits, and botanically berries! (The wonders of nature!)
Pumpkins are typically planted in July because they love the warm weather. These “berry fruits” then grow and mature during the waning summer months until they reach their peak in the Fall. A characteristic which naturally led them to be associated with the Fall harvest season celebrations as both ornaments and food!
We’ll be writing more about the various uses and properties of this majestic fruit. We’ll be hitting up new recipes, news, and festivities. We’ll be exploring nutrition information for us humans and our furry friends, and we’ll be seeing what fun we can find in celebrating this miracle of nature.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking to do some decorating…try the white Lumina pumpkin, the black
Midnight pumpkins, and the beautifully Red Warty with its nice red rind covered in warts and all!
And, if you’re looking for the best pumpkins for eating, try the sweet and popular Sugar Pumpkin variety, the creamy textured Cinderella Pumpkin, and the hybrid Butterkin, a cross between a butternut squash and pumpkin!
Here’s to a great day, some good fun, and a slice of pumpkin pie!
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