Since today is Halloween, it is only fitting that this column be about pumpkins. When we think of pumpkins, some of us think about pies, but others think about jack-o'-lanterns.

Although pumpkins are a minor crop in North Carolina, many farmers plant between one and five acres as a source of additional income. It is estimated that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 acres of pumpkins planted in North Carolina each year.

We do not have exact figures about how many pumpkins are grown in Robeson County either, because they are considered a minor crop here as well. We estimate that approximately 100 acres of pumpkins are planted in this county each year. Some local farmers plant several acres of pumpkins each year and sell them at local markets for fall decorations. Other farmers, as well as home gardeners, plant just a few plants in their gardens, so they will have fresh pumpkins for pies during the holidays.

Some varieties of pumpkins, such as Mammoth Gold, are capable of yielding in excess of 20,000 pounds per acre and have a retail value of 20 to 25 cents per pound. This translates into a gross value of more than $4,000 per acre.

The popular Jack-be-little pumpkin that is used for decorating is not actually a pumpkin. It is actually a gourd. In fact, pumpkins are not vegetables, they are fruits.

Pumpkins can range in size from less than five pounds up to several hundred. The largest pumpkin ever recorded in North Carolina was shown at the 2000 N.C. State Fair. It weighed in at more than 856 pounds, and there were two other pumpkins on the same vine weighing 755 pounds and 300 pounds! These pumpkins were grown in Canton by Wallace Simmons. The largest pumpkin at the 2002 State Fair weighed in at 652 pounds.

When the pilgrims first arrived in the new world, one of the many interesting discoveries they made was that the Native American's were using pumpkins for a variety of purposes. They grew them for food many years before the European explorers arrived. In fact, information about pumpkins dates back many centuries. Archaeologists in Mexico discovered pumpkin fragments that date back as far as 7,000 B.C.

The word pumpkin originates from the Greek word "pepon," meaning "large melon." The word "pepon" was pronounced in different languages several ways before the American colonists called it "pumpkin." Early Americans would slice off the pumpkin top; remove the seeds; fill it with milk, spices, and syrup; and bake it for hours in hot ashes. Thus, we have the first version of pumpkin pie. Settlers would also dry out slices of pumpkin and store them for later when food was hard to find.

You may wonder where the term jack-o'-lantern came from. The term originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack was so devious that he tricked the Devil on several different occasions. When Jack died, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the tricks Jack had played on him, would not allow him into Hell either. So Jack was sent off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern" and then, simply, "jack-o'-lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack-o'-lantern tradition with them when they came to America. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, made perfect jack-o'-lanterns.

Now that you know more about pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns, you can share this information with the trick-or-treaters who come to your door tonight. If you are lucky, you will bore them so much they may never return again.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 11/08/02