Pumpkin pointers
Amy Jordan
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Fall is a popular time for pumpkins, used for decorations and eating. Carving pumpkins into Jack-O-Lanterns and roasting the seeds for a snack is a favorite among children. Pumpkin pies are enjoyed by all ages. Novelty pumpkins have become popular among gardeners, such as white pumpkins, or ones of different shapes and sizes.
At a recent Extension Master Gardener training, a debate occurred as to the definition of a fruit and a vegetable. Defining a fruit botanically results in any structure that develops from a ripened ovary, or develops from a flower. This would include apples, peaches, and raspberries to name a few, but also tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, and squash (including pumpkins). A vegetable may constitute any edible plant part, other than the fruit, such as the root, stem, leaf, bud, flower, etc. Rhubarb, being a leaf petiole, by this definition would be a vegetable. Defining a fruit or vegetable according to usage is more widely accepted. Therefore, a vegetable may be an edible plant part consumed before or with a meal, and a fruit might be an edible, usually sweet and fleshy plant part typically consumed after the meal.
So where does this leave a pumpkin. Botanically it is the fruit of the plant. It may be consumed before or with a meal when used in soups or breads, or after the meal when used in pies. It could be a fruit or vegetable, depending on the situation.
Pumpkins used for pies are not the bright orange ones we typically see. Pie pumpkins are derived from a species that is a dull, terra cotta color and has a sweeter, smoother flesh. The idea of pumpkin pie originated from colonists slicing off the top of a pumpkin, filling it with milk, spices and honey, then baking it in hot ashes.
Although pumpkins have a thick rind and can tolerate cool temperatures, its best not to leave them out in freezing temperatures. To get the longest life out of pumpkins used as decorations, consider painting faces instead of carving them. Avoid carrying pumpkins by the stem, which could break off and cause the pumpkin to rot more rapidly. Instead, pick it up and carry it from the base.
Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other state. Eighty percent of the country’s supply of pumpkins are available in October. Pumpkin is the state fruit of New Hampshire.