10 Fun Pumpkin Facts for Kids
1. The biggest pumpkin in the world? One pumpkin weighing 1,226 kg (2,702 lb 13.9 ounces) Great pumpkin was approved by the Commonwealth and was grown by Stefano Cadruby (Italy) of Rada, Cusandi, Tuscany, Italy. This is one of the fun pumpkin facts for kids. It was weighed in at the 10th Campeonado Della Juccon Pumpkin Festival on September 26, 2021, in Pacquiao, Italy.
2. Largest pumpkin sculpture 🎃 Ray Villafane (USA) carved a zombie apocalypse from two giant pumpkins – weighing 824.86 kg (1,818 lb 5 oz) and 767.9 kg (1,693 lb). The creepy creation went on display at New York Botanical Garden @nybg and featured in the Guinness World Records 2014 book. Happy Halloween!
3. The word ‘pumpkin’ comes from the Greek word pepon, which means “big melon.”They vary in weight but the average size pumpkin can weigh about 13 pounds (6 kilograms).
4. Pumpkins first appeared in Central America. Pumpkins are usually orange but sometimes yellow, white, green, or red. This is one of the fun pumpkin facts for kids..
5. Pumpkin is actually a fruit. Many people think that this should be our national fruit. Akigam is available in the villages.
6. The yellow-orange flowers that bloom on the pumpkin vine are edible. Pumpkins are usually spherical in shape.
7. Pumpkin seeds have a roasted taste and medicinal properties. 100 grams of pumpkin produces about 26 calories of energy.
8. Native Americans grew and ate pumpkins and their seeds long before the Pilgrims reached the continent. Pilgrims learned how to grow and prepare pumpkins from Native Americans.
9. Pumpkin was often served at the first Thanksgiving feast celebrated by pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621.This is one of the fun pumpkin facts for kids.
10. The early pumpkin, made in the United States, was completely different from the pumpkin bag we enjoy today. Pilgrims and early settlers made pumpkins by piercing a pumpkin, filling it with milk, honey, and spices, and then baking it.
11. Early settlers dried pumpkin seeds, cut them into strips, and wove them into mats.
12. The ‘Pumpkin Capital of the World’ is Morton, Illinois. Home of Libyan Pumpkin Industry. Scientifically, pumpkins are a fruit (they have seeds) but when it comes to cooking they are often referred to as vegetables.
13. The state of Illinois produces the most pumpkins. It harvests 12,300 acres of pumpkins a year.
14. Carl Heist of the Clarence Center in New York set the latest U.S. record for the largest pumpkin weighing 2,517.5 pounds at 2,517.5 pounds (2019).
Pumpkins were once considered a cure for blackheads and snakebites.
15. Natural medicine practitioners have proven that consuming pumpkin seeds reduces the risk of prostate disorders in men. This is one of the fun pumpkin facts for kids.