10 Things You Didn't Know About Pumpkins


Doesn't it seem like we are experiencing a golden age of sorts for pumpkin? 

 Yes, our favorite over-sized squashes have been a symbol of Halloween for years and pumpkin pie has been a longtime Thanksgiving staple, but these days there are few places you can go and not find something pumpkin flavored. 

 Here are a few interesting pumpkin stats and facts that you may not have known. Enjoy!

Size of the largest pumpkin pie ever made:

over 5 feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds
(Tweet this)

Weight of the largest pumpkin ever grown:

1,810 pounds
(Tweet this)

Believed place of origin of the pumpkin:

Central America
(Tweet this)

Oldest evidence of pumpkin-related plants:

Seeds from 7,000-5,500 B.C.
(Tweet this)

State that contributes the largest amount of processed pumpkins in the US: 

Illinois (90—95% of all processed pumpkins in US are from the state)
(Tweet this)

Percentage of pumpkins that is water: 

90%
(Tweet this)

The only continent that pumpkins won’t grow in: 

Antarctica
(Tweet this)

Largest lit Jack-O-Lantern display ever: 

Keene, NH (30,581 on 10/19/2013)
(Tweet this)

Amount of US pumpkin-flavored product sales in 2013: 

About $308 million
(Tweet this)

Number of pumpkin lattes that Starbucks has sold since introducing it in 2003: 

More than 200 million
(Tweet this)
Bonus Factoid: Pumpkins were once recommended as a cure for freckles
(Tweet this)

Image Credit: Liz West via flickr

Labels: ,