Pumpkin

A pumpkin is a squash fruit, usually orange in color when ripe (although there are also white, red, and gray varieties). Pumpkins grow as a gourd from a trailing vine of the genus Cucurbita Cucurbitaceae. Cultivated in North America, continental Europe, India and some other countries, Cucurbita varieties include Curcurbita pepo, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita mixta, or Cucurbita moschata — all plants native to the Western hemisphere. The pumpkin varies greatly in form, being sometimes nearly globular, but more generally oblong or ovoid in shape. The rind is smooth and variable in colour. The larger kinds acquire a weight of 40 to 80 lb (18 to 36 kg) but smaller varieties are in vogue for garden culture. Pumpkins are a popular food, with their insides commonly eaten cooked and served in dishes such as pumpkin pie; the seeds can be roasted as a snack. Pumpkins are traditionally used to carve Jack-o'-lanterns for use as part of Halloween celebrations.

Botanically it is a fruit, referring to a certain plant part which grows from a flower. However it is widely regarded as a vegetable in culinary terms, referring to how it is eaten. Butternut squash is called "butternut pumpkin" in Australia, and "neck pumpkin" in parts of Pennsylvania where it is commonly regarded as a pumpkin and used in similar ways to other pumpkin.

Pumpkins have historically been pollinated by the native squash bee Peponapis pruinosa, but this bee has declined, probably due to pesticide sensitivity, and most commercial plantings are pollinated by honeybees today. One hive per acre (4,000 m² per hive) is recommended by the US Department of Agriculture. Gardeners with a shortage of bees, however, often have to hand pollinate.

Inadequately pollinated pumpkins usually start growing but abort before full development. Often there is an opportunistic fungus that the gardener blames for the abortion, but the solution to this problem of abortion tends to be better pollination rather than fungicide. Pumpkins are grown today in the US more for decoration than for food, and popular contests continually lead growers to vie for the world record for the largest pumpkin ever grown. Growers have many techniques, often secretive, including hand pollination, removal from the vines of all but one pumpkin, and injection of fertilizer or even milk directly into the vines with a hypodermic needle.

Pumpkins have male and female flowers, the latter distinguished by the small ovary at the base of the petals. The flowers are short-lived and may open for as little as one day. Pumpkins are often used as forms of entertainment to children and adults alike, around the holiday of Halloween.

The hulless or semi-hulless seeds of pumpkins can be roasted and eaten as a snack, similar to the sunflower seed. The seeds are often prepared by separation from orange pumpkin flesh, mixture with a generally salty sauce (Worcestershire sauce, for example), even distribution on a baking sheet, and oven-heating at a relatively low temperature for a long period of time. They are a good source of essential fatty acids, potassium, and magnesium. In Latin America, the seeds are often greenish in color and known as pepitas. One of the typical pumpkin products of Austria is pumpkin seed oil.

The pumpkin has been much used as a medicine in Central and North America. It is a gentle and safe remedy for a number of complaints, especially as an effective tapeworm remover for children and pregnant women for whom stronger acting and toxic remedies are unsuitable. The seeds are mildly diuretic and vermifuge. The complete seed, together with the husk, is used to remove tapeworms. The seed is ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purgative afterwards in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body. As a remedy for internal parasites, the seeds are less potent than the root of Dryopteris felix-mas, but they are safer for pregnant women, debilitated patients and children. The seed is used to treat hypertrophy of the prostate. The seed is high in zinc and has been used successfully in the early stages of prostate problems. The diuretic action has been used in the treatment of nephritis and other problems of the urinary system. The leaves are applied externally to burns. The sap of the plant and the pulp of the fruit can also be used. The fruit pulp is used as a decoction to relieve intestinal inflammation. The seed contains 34 - 54% of a semi-drying oil. Used for lighting.

Cultivation details

Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position. Prefers a pH of 5.5 to 5.9, but tolerates up to 6.8. Plants are tolerant of light shade (This comment is probably more applicable to warmer climates than Britain.). A frost-tender annual plant, the pumpkin or marrow is widely cultivated in temperate and tropical zones for its edible fruit. It has long been grown as a domestic plant and a number of different groups have been developed. Botanists have tried to classify these groups, though there is considerable overlap and clear distinctions are not always possible. Since they are very similar in their cultivation needs, we have treated all the groups together in this entry. The botanists classification is as follows:- C. pepo pepo. This includes the vegetable marrows, zucchinis, pumpkins and ornamental gourds. There are many named varieties and these can vary considerably in size, shape and flavour. The cultivars with larger and rounder fruits are usually called pumpkins, the fruits are harvested in the autumn and can be stored for a few months. The marrows are smaller than pumpkins and generally sausage-shaped. These can also be harvested in the autumn and stored for a few months, but it is more usual to eat them whilst they are still very small, when they are known as courgettes. Harvesting the fruits of the marrows when very small stimulates the plant into making more flowers (and hence fruits) so it can be a very productive way of using the plant. Pumpkins and marrows succeed outdoors most summers in Britain, in fact many of these varieties are well adapted to cool growing conditions and therefore do well in the British climate. C. pepo pepo fraterna. This is the probable progenitor of the marrows and so is of potential value in any breeding programmes. C. pepo ovifera. This group includes various summer squashes including the acorn, crookneck and patty pan squashes. C. pepo ovifera ozarkana. A probable ancestor of the summer squashes, it could be of value in breeding programmes. C. pepo texana. The texas gourd, or wild marrow, is another form that could be of value in breeding programmes. Plants produce both male and female flowers. These are insect pollinated but in cool weather it is worthwhile hand pollinating. Most cultivars are day-length neutral and so are able to flower and fruit throughout the British summer. A fast-growing plant, trailing forms can be used to provide a summer screen. This species does not hybridize naturally with other edible members of this genus. Squashes and pumpkins can be differentiated from each other by their fruit stalk, it is angular and polygonal in pumpkins but thick, soft and round in squashes.

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Illinois Giant Pumpkin Growers' Association