Hello! Yes, around this time of the year, most people have them sitting out on their lawns, front steps, porches, and decks. They have them sitting there alone or in clusters. Most people decorate them or carve them, especially if they have kids. What are they?

Pumpkins! Yes, pumpkins are particularly popular around this time of the year – what with Halloween and Thanksgiving! Plentiful pumpkins, wonderful winter squash, galaxies of glorious gourds. Pumpkins - as American as apple pie – or to be exact – as American as pumpkin pie!

Did you know that the native American Indians were the very first ones to invent and grow pumpkins and winter squash? And pumpkins were around way before good old Christopher Columbus discovered his brave new world. And pumpkin seeds were found in Mexican burial grounds that go back 5-7,000 years ago. So, I guess that it is safe to say the pumpkins have been around for quite a while!

Pumpkins are a great source of vitamin A, so they make for good healthy eating. And actually, you can substitute pumpkin in most of the recipes that call for winter squash. The pumpkin seeds can be roasted and eaten. The seeds are high in the B complex vitamins and other important stuff called leucine and tyrosine. The American Indians found pumpkin seeds to be sedative in nature, and the seeds were used to calm sexual excitement. Hmmmm… no comment – we are not going to go there today!

At any rate, the native American Indians used pumpkins for not only eating, but also for other health aides, such as poultices and laxatives. Young pumpkin leaves were eaten as cooked greens. Fresh pumpkin blossoms were also a novel delicacy. Leave it to the clever American Indians to come up with multi-purpose recipes that used every part of the pumpkin!

At any rate, if you have little kids, then you know that the ever popular orange ball is transformed into a beautiful grinning glowing Jack O’Lantern, and that is NOT an American Indian invention!

So, pumpkins – if you have grown them before, then you know that they usually take up lots and lots of garden space with miles and miles of vigorous vines. But, take heart, there are some new varieties of bush pumpkins out there that were invented just so that people with limited garden space can grow pumpkins and other vegetables in that same space.

Of course, the limited-space bush pumpkins will give you limited tons of pumpkins per plant; so that is the trade-off. And some varieties have been developed that have super-strong, super-tough thick stems or handles that are practically guaranteed NOT to fall off!

And there are some new varieties that feature white pumpkins! And there are some new varieties that require a shorter growing time so that we gardeners in the North Country can have a chance to grow mature pumpkins in our short growing season. And then there are the mini varieties of mini-orange or mini-white pumpkins.

Now if you didn’t grow any pumpkins in your garden this season, then, of course, you have to buy them. What to look for?

Obviously, you want orange ones, but do consider some partially green ones that you can still orange up, or maybe white or grey pumpkins. Just make sure that you choose pumpkins – whatever the color – that are mature and ripe. If you knock on the pumpkin shells with your knuckles, the mature pumpkins will have a sharp thud sound to them.

And if you are shopping for pumpkins for carving – be creative. You can choose pumpkins that aren’t perfect. You can choose pumpkins that don’t have that perfect size, that perfect round shape, that perfect deep orange color. Keep in mind, that different, weird, or strange looking pumpkins will have more character – more personality. Gees, pumpkins with attitude!!! And besides, less than perfect pumpkins will probably be less expensive!

I know that it is getting late in the game, so good luck searching for that great pumpkin! And say hello to Linus as he anxiously awaits the arrival of that other Great Pumpkin!

Hey – Remember – Eat Smart New York!

And – Bye – Talk to you soon!
D