Happy Halloween! Interesting facts!...

            

Happy Halloween everyone!  I have never been much of a Halloween person.  I'm not sure why.  I was when I was a kid, but as an adult, I can't recall dressing up once for Halloween.  I guess I'm just not into it.  I live in an apartment and no kids ever come here, so I just turn out the lights on Halloween and watch TV.  I don't think I have gotten a single trick-or-treater in three years.  I don't expect tonight to be any different.  I always buy candy, though, just in case that one or two kid come, if by magic, every year.  This year is no different.  I will eat the candy all by myself.  LOL

I found these fun facts on pumpkins that you may not know.  I do not know the author or I would give credit.

      Pumpkins are fruits.  A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a 
        member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae), which also includes
        squash, cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.

       The largest pumpkin ever grown was 1,689 pounds. It was
        grown by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, Rhode Island and
        weighed at the Topsfield Fair GPC weigh-off in Topsfield, MA
        on September 29, 2007.
  
      The top pumpkin production states are Illinois, Ohio,
        Pennsylvania, and California.

       In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an
       ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.

       Native Americans called pumpkins "isqoutm squash."

       Using pumpkins as lanterns at Halloween is based on
        an ancient Celtic custom brought to America by Irish
        immigrants.  All Hallow's Eve on October 31st marked the end
        of the old Celtic calendar year.  On that night, hollowed-out
        turnips, beets, and rutabagas with a candle inside were placed on
        windowsills and porches to welcome home spirits of deceased
        ancestors and ward off evil spirits and a restless soul called
        "Stingy Jack".

Pumpkins originated in Central America and were a popular crop among Native Americans. Some tribes used the seeds for food and medicine and made sleeping mats out of dried pumpkin strips.  Besides making pies, American colonists cut off pumpkin tops and made handy edible bowls, filling them with milk, honey and spices and cooking them over a fire or hot ashes.   Pumpkins are 90-percent water and contain high concentrations of potassium and vitamin A.

               

Tags: Halloween, pumpkins, Happpy Halloween, stay safe!