Learn A Thing Or Two Before Halloween This Year

Well, it's almost Halloween time.  I'm sure you've heard a few "fun facts" people like to share at this time of year.  You're bound to see a ton of these things today, real and fake - so why don't we learn a thing or two. 

I mean, after all we've done to get ready for the holiday, we deserve to learn a few things, don't we? Sure.

1.   One-third of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. are canned.  About 90% to 95% of the pumpkins that get processed are grown in Illinois.  I guess they just like canning things there?  Or maybe somebody just got the jump on everyone else there.

2.  Pumpkins are completely indigenous to the Western hemisphere.  When the Europeans first came over here, they'd never seen pumpkins before.  Now, pumpkins are grown on every continent except Antarctica.  Which might seem obvious.  But maybe not, I'm not here to judge!

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3.  Before pumpkin carving became a tradition, people in Ireland would carve faces in TURNIPS to try to keep evil spirits away.  When the Irish came to America, they started using pumpkins because they were larger and easier to carve.  And, I'm sure, there were more of them here?

4.  Pumpkin seeds that date back 9,000 years have been found in caves in Mexico. I don't know how they determine that, but it is kinda cool that it's someone's job to figure that out.  The Pumpkin Seed Tester.  Put that on a business card.

Well jeez, now I feel like I've Googled everything that can possibly be searched about pumpkins.  Doesn't put me in the mood to have pumpkin spice anything, though.  Here's hoping I don't find any smashed ones in my neighborhood tomorrow.

Pumpkinly yours,

Behka