Written by Kristin Kish, Digital Marketing Intern.
Halloween is right around the corner and we’re getting pumped… about pumpkins!
That’s right, pumpkins. They’re practically everywhere these days. At the grocery store, on our porches, in our coffees and yes, even at Thinkery!
We’ve been staring at these ginormous gourds since Labor Day, and we’re starting to wonder. Like, what are pumpkins? Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? Where do they grow?
Like any good scientist eager to find out the truth, we started researching this seemingly ubiquitous fruit. (Yes, a pumpkin is a fruit!)
What’d we find? Well, look no further. Here are our 10 favorite fun facts about these special squashes!
- The word “pumpkin” comes from the Greek word “pepon,” which means “large melon.”
- More than 1 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced in the United States every year. That’s 500,000 tons. That’s a lot.
So many pumpkins! - The average pumpkin weighs in at approximately 13 pounds.
- Pumpkins are 90% water. And yes, they float.
- A pumpkin is a fruit because it comes from a flower and has seeds.
- The average pumpkin has approximately 500 seeds.
- Most pumpkins are orange because they contain a pigment called “carotene.” Carrots are another carotenoid-rich food.
- Pumpkins come in many different colors, including orange, yellow, green, white and blue.
Do blue pumpkins blow your mind? We have to admit, they’re pretty amazing! - Pumpkins are grown on every continent except Antarctica.
- Every part of the pumpkin is edible. You can eat the root, stem, leaves, fruit, and seeds.
Pumped about pumpkins now? Put your newfound knowledge to the test this Friday, October 28 at Family Night!
Break in your Halloween costume early, chow down on Hat Creek Burger Company burgers and explore spooky science at our annual Halloween Hootenanny. This family-friendly evening is full of pumpkin fun. Seriously. The University of Texas at Austin’s Fun with Chemistry program will create magical motions, generate three-story ghosts and BLOW UP PUMPKINS.
And that’s not all. The entire event celebrates everything that makes Halloween so special—spooktacular crafts, frightfully fantastic activities and spine-tingling surprises. See you Friday!