Get into the Fall Spirit with these Fun Pumpkin Facts!

Photo by Ben n Rebecca McIntyre, via Flickr | https://www.flickr.com/photos/bennbeck/6245837391
Photo by: Flickr

Pumpkins are one of the most popular representations of the Fall Season and are used in a variety of ways. From carving to baking and decor, pumpkins are a Halloween and Fall favorite. Bringing families together during the Fall Season, both adults and children alike enjoy the tradition of pumpkin picking. The bonding continues at home when it's time to bake that pumpkin bread or pie and when the time comes to carve your pumpkins and decorate! 

Since our fellow Fall-loving friends love pumpkins as much as we do, it's only right that we honor the Fall Season by learning a bit about them! Take a peek below to find out what you may not have known about beloved pumpkins.

• Millions of pumpkins are grown and used as food for animals
• All pumpkins are a variety of winter squash
• The orange color in pumpkins comes from beta carotene
• China used pumpkin leaves for a variety of different soups
• Antarctica is the only continent where pumpkins aren't grown
• 680,000 tons of pumpkins are produced each year in the United States
• Along with the traditional color orange, pumpkins can also be found in yellow and white varieties
• The word pumpkin originates from the Greek word pepon, which simply means "large melon"
• Curcubita Pepo is the official Latin name for pumpkin
• Pumpkins are filled with 2% protein
• Illinois is the top pumpkin producing state in the United States
• In Central and Eastern Europe, pumpkin seed oil is used for cooking
• All squashes and pumpkins are native plants of North America
• In Europe, Mexico & China - pumpkin seeds are quite the popular snack
• Early American Colonists used to call pumpkins "pumpions"
• Some pumpkins have been weighed in at a whopping 2,000 pounds
• Pumpkins are a rich source of Vitamin A
• The pumpkin most often used for Jack O' Lanterns is the Connecticut Field variety
• The pumpkin spice latte was first launched at Starbucks in 2003
• 95% of all pumpkins grown to make pies and pie filling come from Illinois
• Bees are relied on by pumpkins to fertilize the flowers via cross pollination 
• In the Harry Potter book series, pumpkin juice is a popular drink among the students
• In Britain and Australia, the word "pumpkin" can refer to any type of squash
• The sugar variety of pumpkins is most often used for baking
• Gourds are the most popular type of pumpkin used for decorating
• A White Lumina is an unusual, medium-sized white pumpkin
• The word “pompom” in English is derived from the French word for pumpkin, meaning something round and large
• Pumpkin chunking is the sport where a pumpkin is hurled as far as possible using a machine

What do you use your pumpkins for during the Fall Season? Let us know by commenting below!