Volume 2010, Issue 3
Wayne White Ag Literacy Newsletter November 2010
PUMPKINS
This monthly newsletter is provided to you free by the Wayne-White AITC program.
Pumpkins...Dirt to Dessert
Pumpkins are fruits
and considered members
of the vine crops family
called cucurbits. Pumpkins
originated in Central America.
The name pumpkin
originated from "pepon" –
the Greek word for "large
melon." Native Americans
roasted long strips of
pumpkin in an open fire.
They flattened the strips of
pumpkins, dried them and
made mats.
Native Americans also
called pumpkins "isqoutm
squash." They often used
pumpkin seeds for food
and medicine.
Colonists sliced off
pumpkin tops; removed
seeds and filled the insides
with milk, spices and
honey. This was baked in
hot ashes and is the origin
of pumpkin pie.
Pumpkins were once
recommended for removing
freckles and curing snake
bites.
Today, the top pump-
kin production states are
Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania
Around 90 to 95% of
the processed pumpkins in
the United States are
grown in Illinois. Pumpkins
are grown primarily for
processing with a small
percentage grown for ornamental sales through youpick farms, farmers' market
and retail sales. Pumpkins
range in size from less than
a pound to over 1,000
pounds. The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed
1,140.
The Connecticut
field variety is the traditional American pumpkin.
There are several uses for
pumpkins:
*Pumpkin seeds can be
roasted as a snack.
*Pumpkins are used for
feed for animals.
*Pumpkins are used to
make soups, pies and
breads.
pounds.
*In the U.S., Pumpkins are
often used during the fall
for decorating and carving.
ILLINOIS LEARNING STANDARDS
The resource materials available at the Wayne County Farm Bureau on
PUMPKINS will qualify under the following Illinois Learning Standards…
4.A.1a; 4.A.1b; 4.A.1c; 4.B.1b; 12.A.1a; 7.B.1a; 7.B.1b; 9.A.1a; 9.A.1b;
Page 1
Try This!!
Try this demonstration to
teach students about the
inside of a pumpkin
1. Divide your class into
groups.
2. Buy several pumpkins
in a variety of sizes.
3. Each group should
select a pumpkin that
they think has the
most seeds.
4. Have each group
clean out the insides
of the pumpkin, being
careful to keep the
seeds.
5. Have each group
count the seeds.
6. Were the kids right in
their seed assumptions?
Hint: Generally, smaller
and medium-sized pumpkins have more seeds
than larger pumpkins.
Facts about
PUMPKINS
 Pumpkin blossoms are
edible!
 The largest pumpkin pie
ever made was over five
feet in diameter and
weighed over 350
pounds. It used 80
pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar,
12 dozen eggs and took
six hours to bake.
 Pumpkins are 90 percent
water.
PUMPKIN
Illinois Pumpkins are Number 1…and Close to HOME!
Illinois is the
leading state
in the production of pumpkins.
In
2008, Illinois
pumpkin
farms
produced
496
m i l l i o n
pounds
of
pumpkins.
There
are
approximately
502 pumpkin
farms in Illinois that use
13,679 acres of land for pumpkin production.
In addition to being the number one
pumpkin producer, Illinois also is the
number one pumpkin processor. Of the
state's 13,679 acres of pumpkins,
9,749 of those acres are harvested for
processing, which is mostly done at one
of two plants near Peoria Libby's in
Morton and Seneca Foods in Princeville.
The crop’s value fluctuates
depending upon yield and prices, but
generally exceeds $10 million.
Frey Farms, located in Keenes, Ill., east
of Mt. Vernon, is among the state’s top
producers. Company president Sarah
Frey-Talley and her four brothers devote
750 acres of their family’s 1,200-acre
farm to pumpkins and contract with
growers throughout southeastern Illinois to produce pumpkins on an additional 750 acres.
The business accounts for 12 percent
of the state’s pumpkin acreage and
makes the 28-year-old Frey-Talley one
of the youngest high-volume pumpkin
producers in the Midwest, if not the
entire United States.
This year, Frey Farms sold one million
pumpkins to the nation’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, which ships them to
its stores nationwide. Another
500,000 pumpkins were bought from
non-contract growers and re-sold to
other distribution centers and retail
outlets.
How A Pumpkin Grows
Pumpkins should not be planted
until the soil is warm and all danger of
frost or severe chilling is past. It
takes 110 days, or almost four
months, for a pumpkin vine to produce mature pumpkins. Timing is
very important because pumpkins are
frost-sensitive plants.
Seeds should be planted four feet
apart, allowing six feet of space between rows, to give them plenty of
room to grow. Two or three pumpkins
grow on a vine, and each vine may
reach 15-20 feet in length.
Not every seed will develop, so
extra seeds need to be planted.
Pumpkins need special nutrients
from the soil, lots of sunshine and rain,
and proper soil and air temperature to
grow.
Pumpkins
are pollinated
by bees. The
size of the
pumpkin depends on water, temperature, insects,
diseases, pollination, fertility, soil type,
plant popula-
tion, and weeds.
Pumpkins are picked by hand
when they are a deep, solid color and
the rind is hard.
Pumpkins should be stored in a
cool, dry place to keep from rotting.
They are used to make pumpkin butter, pies, custard, bread, cookies, and
even soup!
For more information about
pumpkins and the pumpkin growth
cycle visit the AITC website at
www.agintheclassroom.org.
Resource materials & suggested websites
The Wayne County Farm Bureau
has several resource materials available for use in your classroom. In addition we have listed a few other resources you find useful.

Kids, Crops, & Critters in the Classroom — Resource guide for teachers with over 350 pages of lesson
plans, projects, and other materials. All lessons are based on the
Illinois Learning Standards.
WAYNE- WHITE AITC
Page 2


www.agintheclassroom.org Browse through lesson
plans, books, videos,
and other materials on
the website for IFB’s
Ag Literacy program.
Pumpkin Agri-Science Kit - This kit
has everything you need to conduct
fun projects in your classroom. The
kit comes fully stocked with lessons, instructions, all materials,
Brianne Foster, Coordinator
301 E. Court St. PO Box 526
handouts, books, and videos. Call
us to reserve the kit for your classroom.

University of Illinois Extension provides education and information
focused on addressing environmental, economic, and societal
issues.
The following link addresses information on pumpkins.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/
pumpkins/default.cfm
Fairfield, IL 62837
(618) 842-3342
PUMPKIN