Fun facts about Pumpkin

Vegetable
Pumpkin
Rate this topic

Free. One surprising fact at a time, by email or push. No app needed.

Did you know? Most canned pumpkin sold in grocery stores is actually made from a specific variety of squash called Dickinson field pumpkins, which are closer to butternut squash than the orange pumpkins you carve for Halloween.

Fact 1 of 7

7 facts about Pumpkin

  1. 1
    Pumpkins are incredibly hydrating, consisting of about ninety percent water by weight, which is similar to the water content found in a fresh watermelon.
  2. 2
    Early American colonists once used pumpkin shells as a makeshift oven by slicing off the top, removing the seeds, filling the inside with milk, honey, and spices, and roasting it whole in hot ashes.
  3. 3
    The world record for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown weighed 2,749 pounds, which is about the same weight as a small subcompact car.
  4. 4
    While we usually associate them with autumn, pumpkins are grown on every single continent on Earth except for Antarctica.
  5. 5
    Pumpkins are comprised of approximately ninety percent water.
  6. 6
    Despite their spooky reputation, pumpkins are actually a type of berry! Botanically speaking, they are classified as 'pepos' because they develop from a single flower and have a fleshy, seed-filled interior.
Keep exploring

More in Vegetable

Peas
Rate this topic
Vegetable
Peas

Gregor Mendel used pea plants in his experiments in the 1850s to discover the fundamental laws of inheritance and genetics.

Plantain
Rate this topic
Vegetable
Plantain

Plantain leaves have been used traditionally to stop bleeding from minor wounds.

Potato
Rate this topic
Vegetable
Potato

The largest potato ever grown weighed nearly 11 pounds.

Puntarelle
Rate this topic
Vegetable
Puntarelle

Traditionally, Roman chefs prepare puntarelle by slicing the hollow stems into thin strips and soaking them in ice water, which causes them to curl into elegant, crunchy spirals.

Purslane
Rate this topic
Vegetable
Purslane

Purslane is a succulent that's surprisingly nutritious, containing more omega-3 fatty acids than spinach.

Radish
Rate this topic
Vegetable
Radish

Radishes are actually a root vegetable, but their greens are also edible and can be added to salads or cooked like spinach.