No other fruit says fall quite like the pumpkin. Versatile, delicious, nutritious and ever-present this time of year, this is one gourd you should definitely know more about!

• A pumpkin is a squash: a fruit that develops from a flower on long vines on the ground. Each vine can have many pumpkins. The flowers are edible!
• Although most of the pumpkins we see are about the size of a basketball, sizes vary. The weight of a pumpkin can be from less than one pound to over 1,000 pounds. The largest pumpkin ever was reported to be 1,140 pounds!
• The seeds in pumpkins are good eating! Just wash and roast. See the recipe below!
  
• Pumpkins have an ancient history that extends well beyond the United States. Pumpkin is the Greek name for “large melon,” pepon. This translated by the French to “pompom” and then “pumpion.” Shakespeare refers to “pumpion” in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
• Native Americans referred to pumpkins as “isqoutm squash.” They used pumpkins as a food, roasting strips on the open fire, and as a material to make mats, drying the strips of pumpkin and weaving them. The seeds were used as food and as medicine. American colonists changed the name to pumpkin. They are credited with slicing off the tops, removing the seeds and filling the insides with milk, honey and spices. This was baked in hot ashes — the origin of pumpkin custard or pie! Instead of a pastry crust, the pumpkin shell held the liquid!
• About 80% of the pumpkin crop in the United States is available in October.
• Most pumpkins are orange, but there are other colors as well, including white pumpkins.
• Some pumpkins are “pie” or eating pumpkins; others are good for decorating with markers, painting or for carving into jack-o'-lanterns.
• Pumpkins are nutritious. The bright orange color indicates they are an excellent source of beta-carotene, a nutrient that is converted to Vitamin A in the body. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant nutrient, that means it helps protect the body. The seeds are a source of Vitamin E as well as fiber.
• One half-cup of cooked pumpkin is one serving toward your 5-a-day requirement.

Nutritional Information

1 cup cooked pumpkin has:

• 49 calories
• 2 grams protein
• 12 grams carbohydrate
• 3 grams dietary fiber
• 37 milligrams calcium
• 12 milligrams Vitamin C
• 2650 IU (International Units) Vitamin A
• Other nutrients include potassium, zinc, Vitamin E, folate and iron

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 20-30 min.

Ingredients:
Giant Eagle^® vegetable oil spray, as needed
Fresh pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp. Giant Eagle® vegetable oil or butter (melted)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Wash seeds and remove any of the netting or strings and any broken seeds. Blot dry between two layers of clean paper towels. Spray a cookie sheet with the vegetable oil spray.

Toss dried seeds in oil or melted butter and spread onto cookie sheet. Place in oven for 20-30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes to keep from burning. Remove from oven, let cool. Store in sealed containers.

Optional flavorings:

• Sprinkle with cinnamon, garlic powder, curry powder or an herb seasoning before toasting.
• Sprinkle with kosher salt.
  

Have a question for Judy about this article or would like to learn more about available nutrition classes (with tastings)? Send her an e-mail at nutritionist@GiantEagle.com.

October 2009