Pumpkins

What is big, round, and orange? It grows on a plant that runs along the ground. It gets ripe in late summer or early fall. It is part of Halloween and Thanksgiving Day. Have you guessed what it is? It is a pumpkin, of course. Pumpkins are found in many parts of the world. The first ones probably grew in Peru, South America. They are still an important crop there. Then they spread to North America and later to Europe. Today most of the pumpkins in the United States are raised in the South, the Middle West, and New England. These plants need a lot of space for growing. That's why they are usually planted in large fields in late spring. Groups of two or three seeds are placed about six feet apart. Each plant that comes up will grow two or three pumpkins. When ripe they may weigh from 1 to 200 pounds. Pumpkins have many uses. The shells are often made into jack-o-lanterns at Halloween. People cook and eat pumpkins as vegetables or make them into pies, especially at Thanksgiving. Raw pumpkins are given as food to cattle and pigs. Perhaps you have enjoyed pumpkin seeds. They come in cans or small packages on the shelves of stores. If you cooked these seeds, you would be doing what the Native Americans (Indians) of long ago did. In fact, they ate not only the seeds of the pumpkins but also the flowers and the soft insides!