In Awe of Pumpkins

Over the past month or so, I have been pulling together pumpkin stories for a special pumpkin section for FarmersAlmanacTV.com (scheduled to run Oct. 16-Oct. 31).

And, while I’m no expert on pumpkins, I now have a thorough appreciation for this fruit, which I learned is actually a squash, whose name originated from the Greek word “pepon”, or large melon.

I’m also amazed at pumpkins’ nutritional value: Just one cup of cooked, boiled pumpkin has 2 grams of protein, 1.4 mg of iron and 21 mg of folate, for all of 49 calories.

And, I’m appreciative of all the great food pumpkins create, from pies, to pancakes, to soups and more.

But what tickles me the most is how large pumpkins can grow: the record is over 1400 pounds!

In fact, we are featuring a video in our public television show, as well as our special pumpkin section on the web, about what it takes to grow one of these big ones. It’s a lot more than hard work, according to Al Berard, who is featured in the video.

Anyway, what I’m leading to is that pumpkins are pretty amazing. I’m fascinated by them. And, when Cinderella turned a pumpkin into a coach, she made a mistake. She should have walked to the castle, and cooked pumpkin pies, pancakes and soup for the prince. That would have not only won his heart, but provided many nutritious meals, and plenty of great topics of conversation.
By Jennifer Dlugozima, VP of Marketing, Farmers’ Almanac TV

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