On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from pumpkin salad article title. Today, pumpkins of varied species are widely grown for food, as well as for aesthetic and recreational purposes.

17th-century English colonists, shortly after encountering pumpkins upon their arrival in what is now the northeastern United States. English Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony, located in present-day Massachusetts. Researchers have noted that the term pumpkin and related terms like ayote and calabaza are applied to a range of winter squash with varying size and shape. The term tropical pumpkin is sometimes used for pumpkin cultivars of the species Cucurbita moschata. Pumpkin fruits are a type of botanical berry known as a pepo. Characteristics commonly used to define “pumpkin” include smooth and slightly ribbed skin, and deep yellow to orange color.

Giant pumpkins can exceed a tonne in mass. You can help by adding to it. The oldest evidence of Cucurbita pepo pumpkin is fragments found in Mexico that are dated between 7,000 and 5,500 BC. Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop that is usually planted by early July in the Northern Hemisphere. F, or if grown in soils that become waterlogged. Pumpkins produce both a male and female flower, with fertilization usually performed by bees. Ukraine and Russia each produced about one million tonnes.

In the fall of 2009, rain in Illinois devastated the Nestlé’s Libby’s pumpkin crop, which, combined with a relatively weak 2008 crop depleting that year’s reserves, resulted in a shortage affecting the entire country during the Thanksgiving holiday season. Another shortage, somewhat less severe, affected the 2015 crop. Terry County, Texas, has a substantial pumpkin industry, centered largely on miniature pumpkins. This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Nutrition information should be more broadly representative of pumpkin species and varieties, and should not rely on a deprecated database. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

Most parts of the pumpkin plant are edible, including the fleshy shell, the seeds, the leaves, and the flowers. When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, steamed, or roasted. Pumpkins that are immature may be eaten as summer squash. In North America, pumpkins are an important part of the traditional autumn harvest, eaten mashed and making its way into soups and purées. Often, pumpkin flesh is made into pie, various kinds of which are a traditional staple of the Canadian and American Thanksgiving holidays. In the Indian subcontinent, pumpkin is cooked with butter, sugar, and spices in a dish called kadu ka halwa. Pumpkin is used in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

Association of pumpkins with harvest time and pumpkin pie at Canadian and American Thanksgiving reinforce its iconic role. Starbucks turned this association into marketing with its Pumpkin Spice Latte, introduced in 2003. In the southwestern United States and Mexico, pumpkin and squash flowers are a popular and widely available food item. They may be used to garnish dishes, or dredged in a batter then fried in oil.

In Guangxi province, China, the leaves of the pumpkin plant are consumed as a cooked vegetable or in soups. Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are edible and nutrient-rich. Pumpkin seeds are a popular snack that can be found hulled or semi-hulled at grocery stores. In Myanmar, the seeds are a popular sunflower seed substitute. Pumpkin seed oil is a thick oil pressed from roasted seeds that appears red or green in color.