Pumpkin History and Facts

Every site I have found has referenced the Americas as the original birth place of the pumpkin.  It was eaten as a staple in the Native American diet.  When the pilgrims settled into North American, they began cutting and removing the pumpkin top.  Once the top was removed they added milk and spice into the opening and cooked the pumpkin in the hot ash of their fire.  It is believed that this was the earliest version of pumpkin pie.  YUM!!

Fun Pumpkin Facts...

• member of the squash family
• range in size from 1 pound to 1000 pounds
• 1 cup of pumpkin is about 30 calories
• zero cholesterol
• very little salt
• made of 90% water
• used in many facial and anti wrinkle creams
• carved pumpkins only last about 4 days
• uncarved pumpkins in a cool, dry place can last over a month 

See & Learn...

Cool Carving Gallery

Detailed Pumpkin Carving Packet (everything from getting started to tools needed to tips and trouble shooting)

Pumpkin Carving Patterns

How to Increase the Life of Your Jack-o-Lantern

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin Activities and Recipes for Children (includes 5 knife free ways to decorate a pumpkin... scroll almost to the bottom to view 2 weeks worth of kid-friendly pumpkin recipes)

Pumpkin Activities for Little Ones