Pumpkins, that are squash, fit into stories and history in fascinating ways.
In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving the headless horseman held a pumpkin head in his hand to frighten Ichabod Crane.
The Jack-o-lantern is believed to have come from an old Irish story concerning a man, called Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil and was forced to wander alone forever. He carved a very large turnip to use as a lamp. Later a pumpkin served the purpose. Very large beets were once used in England.
The "Pumpkin Capital of America" is Morton, Illinois, so they say.
Pumpkins once have been used to cure snake bites and freckles. Their seeds are believed to help avoid prostate cancer.
Today there are contests to see who can grow the largest pumpkin. These take copious amounts of water to make them grow so large. The world's largest pumpkin to date was 1,815.5 pounds! It was grown in Quebec by Jim and Kelsey Bryson in 2011.
Today one can watch pumpkin chunking on TV if he wishes to.
Pumpkins originated in Central America. Pumpkin-like seeds have been found in Mexico dating over 7,000 years ago.
Question: Can you name a film that features a pumpkin?
Answer: Cinderella. (Cinderella was a girl named Ella who had to clean the fireplace, etc. by her cruel stepmother after her father died. Since Ella was frequently covered with cinders she was gaive the sobriquet: Cinderella. It is sad for she was so sweet.)
In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving the headless horseman held a pumpkin head in his hand to frighten Ichabod Crane.
The Jack-o-lantern is believed to have come from an old Irish story concerning a man, called Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil and was forced to wander alone forever. He carved a very large turnip to use as a lamp. Later a pumpkin served the purpose. Very large beets were once used in England.
The "Pumpkin Capital of America" is Morton, Illinois, so they say.
Pumpkins once have been used to cure snake bites and freckles. Their seeds are believed to help avoid prostate cancer.
Today there are contests to see who can grow the largest pumpkin. These take copious amounts of water to make them grow so large. The world's largest pumpkin to date was 1,815.5 pounds! It was grown in Quebec by Jim and Kelsey Bryson in 2011.
Today one can watch pumpkin chunking on TV if he wishes to.
Pumpkins originated in Central America. Pumpkin-like seeds have been found in Mexico dating over 7,000 years ago.
Question: Can you name a film that features a pumpkin?
Answer: Cinderella. (Cinderella was a girl named Ella who had to clean the fireplace, etc. by her cruel stepmother after her father died. Since Ella was frequently covered with cinders she was gaive the sobriquet: Cinderella. It is sad for she was so sweet.)