The World of Pumpkins

The pumpkin is a very popular vegetable at this time of the year. What would Halloween or Thanksgiving be without the pumpkin?

Pumpkins originated in the southeastern region of North America. They have been an important source of food for thousands of years. The pumpkin is a member of the curcurbitaceae family. A true pumpkin is curbcurbita pepo. The pumpkin is a vine crop. Other family members are squash, gourds, and cucumbers. Squash and pumpkins are very similar. In fact, what many people refer to as pumpkins are actually squash. Many of the giant pumpkins you see are an example of a squash being called a pumpkin.

There are five main ways pumpkins are used: decoration, sugar, pie, carving, and processing. Decorative pumpkins are usually small in size and not suitable for eating. Sugar or pie pumpkins are medium-sized, fine-grained and sweet. They are ideal for making pies. The carving pumpkin is large and round. The skin is firm and suitable for Halloween. Processing pumpkins are very large and generally not eaten. The seed is proccessed for oil.

There is a significant amount of pumpkins grown each year in Canada and the United States. The major pumpkin states are Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. Texas alone has about 3,500 acres in pumpkins each year. British Columbia produces 3,000,000 pounds of pumpkin each year, worth approximately $400,000 or about 13 cents a pound. Alberta has about 260 acres a year in pumpkins. Some of the significant foreign producers are Trinidad, Antigua, Barbados, St. Vincent, and Dominica.

The majority of pumpkin fields in Canada are small, with only a few acres per patch. Pumpkins are an easy crop to grow and well suited for the hobby farmer. As a result, a large portion of pumpkin sales are farm gate or u-pick. It was found in 1996 that it cost an average farmer in Alberta about $800 to grow and harvest an acre of pumpkins(excluding equipment costs). That same acre produced $4,700 in revenue (average yield was 15-20 tons/acre). Pumpkins are, therefore, an attractive late season crop for many people.

An alternative to regular pumpkin is the giant pumpkin. They are becoming a common sight at fall fairs and displays. The current world-record holder is Gary Burke of Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. His pumpkin weighted in at 1,092 pounds. The seed he used was Dill's Atlantic Giant. Howard Dill has developed the variety and sells a wide range of seed for the pumpkin grower. Other large pumpkins are Big Max, Show King and Big Moon.

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