by Pamela Kay

Created on: October 31, 2007

Every year about this time, people become ghoulishly interested in pumpkins. Each has their own ritual for finding the perfectly shaped, colored or sized pumpkin. Some even spend an hour or two in a "Pumpkin Patch" trying to find just the right one. Think you know all there is to know about this fat little orb? Check out the following to see if there is something you didn't know, then check out pumpkinnook.com to learn even more.

Origin
The brightly colored, plump and highly versatile vegetable we know as a pumpkin, probably originated in Central America, from where it spread to the northern tribes of American Indians. When the first settlers arrived in America from Europe, they found the Indians growing and eating the pumpkin and added it to their own diet.

Nutrition
In all probability, the early settlers did not know how nutritious the pumpkin was and ate it of necessity. However, nutritious it is. Pumpkin is a fat and cholesterol free food that is low in calories. It is also a good source of potassium, protein and vitamins A and C.

Medicinal
Through the years, the public has used the pumpkin in various ways. One way was as a medicinal cure for freckles. It was used for snakebites and to prevent prostate cancer. Before we laugh at this, we should remember that old home remedies do sometimes have a grain of truth in them.

Origin of Jack O'Lantern
Today when we see a pumpkin, most of us think of Halloween and the Jack O' Lantern. The origin of the Jack O'Lantern is believed to be Ireland, where people would hollow out turnips, rutabagas, gourds, and beets to ward off the evil spirits on All Hallows Eve.

When the Irish immigrants came to America, they brought this practice with them. However, they quickly discovered that the pumpkin was larger and easier to carve. Thus was born the Jack O'Lantern of today.

Night Lights
Often the poorer classes would use the Jack O'Lantern for a light to travel by at night. As the metal lanterns used by the wealthy were above their means in cost, the pumpkin worked nicely for them. The faces and shapes carved into the pumpkin were two-fold in their purpose. One was to scare away evil spirits and the other was to give some light to the path they traveled.

For Food
The largest use for pumpkins is eating them. At first pumpkins, along with turnips and all root crops, were considered for consumption only by the poor. However, it did not take long for the upper class to learn about the unique flavors and uses of the lower class, for the pumpkin.

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