Pumpkins and Squashes

   A pumpkin is a cultivar of winter squash that is round with smooth, slightly ribbed skin, and is most often deep yellow to orange in coloration. The thick shell contains the seeds and pulp. The name is most commonly used for cultivars of Cucurbita pepo, but some cultivars of Cucurbita maxima, C. argyrosperma, and C. moschata with similar appearance are also sometimes called "pumpkin".                    

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English word pumpkin is derived from the Ancient Greek word πέπων romanized pepon meaning 'melon'. Under this theory, the term transitioned through the Latin word peponem and the Middle French word pompon to the Early Modern English pompion, which was changed to pumpkin by 17th-century English colonists, shortly after encountering pumpkins upon their arrival in what is now the northeastern United States.

An alternate derivation for pumpkin is the Massachusett word pôhpukun 'grows forth round'. This term would likely have been used by the Wampanoag people (who speak the Wôpanâak dialect of Massachusett) when introducing pumpkins to English Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony, located in present-day Massachusetts. The English word squash is also derived from a Massachusett word, variously transcribed as askꝏtasquash, ashk8tasqash, or, in the closely-related Narragansett language, askútasquash.

The term pumpkin has no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning, and is used interchangeably with "squash" and "winter squash". In North America and the United Kingdom, pumpkin traditionally refers to only certain round orange varieties of winter squash, predominantly derived from Cucurbita pepo, while in New Zealand and Australian English, the term pumpkin generally refers to all winter squash.

Read about the  The history of pumpkins 

Several varieties of pumpkins, squash, and gourds, all members of the Cucurbitaceae family.

Pumpkins, like other squash, originated in northeastern Mexico and southern United States. The oldest evidence were pumpkin fragments dated between 7,000 and 5,500 BC found in Mexico.Pumpkin fruits are a type of botanical berry known as a pepo.

Traditional C. pepo pumpkins generally weigh between 3 and 8 kilograms (6 and 18 lb), though the largest cultivars (of the species C. maxima) regularly reach weights of over 34 kg (75 lb).

The color of pumpkins derives from orange carotenoid pigments, including beta-cryptoxanthin, alpha and beta carotene, all of which are provitamin A compounds converted to vitamin A in the body.

Care                                                                    

When stored properly, pumpkins can last a few months. After purchase or harvesting consider wiping any dirt off the pumpkin and storing out of the rain.  If you harvest your own give it time to cure in warm weather. Curing pumpkins involves allowing the skin to dry in the garden for 7-14 days at 80⁰ to 85⁰. After the pumpkinskin has hardened place the pumpkins in a well ventilated area. Ideal temperature is 50⁰ - 55⁰ with a relative humidity of 50-70%. 

VARIETIES.                                                    

The cucurbita photographs are from the seasonal display put on by the Dallas Arboretum annually. 

Nutrition                                                            

Pumpkin, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	109 kJ (26 kcal)
Carbohydrates	6.5 g
Sugars	2.76 g
Dietary fiber	0.5 g
Fat	0.1 g
Protein	1 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV†
Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene lutein zeaxanthin	53% 426 μg 29% 3100 μg 1500 μg
Thiamine (B1)	4% 0.05 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	9% 0.11 mg
Niacin (B3)	4% 0.6 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	6% 0.298 mg
Vitamin B6	5% 0.061 mg
Folate (B9)	4% 16 μg
Vitamin C	11% 9 mg
Vitamin E	3% 0.44 mg
Vitamin K	1% 1.1 μg
Minerals	Quantity %DV†
Calcium	2% 21 mg
Iron	6% 0.8 mg
Magnesium	3% 12 mg
Manganese	6% 0.125 mg
Phosphorus	6% 44 mg
Potassium	7% 340 mg
Sodium	0% 1 mg
Zinc	3% 0.32 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	91.6 g
Link to USDA Database entry
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

In a 100-gram amount, raw pumpkin provides 110 kilojoules (26 kilocalories) of food energy and is an excellent source (20% or more the Daily Value, DV) of provitamin A beta-carotene and vitamin A (53% DV) (table). Vitamin C is present in moderate content (11% DV), but no other nutrients are in significant amounts (less than 10% DV, table). Pumpkin is 92% water, 6.5% carbohydrate, 0.1% fat and 1% protein.

Botanicals.                                                         

Cucurbita - Petri Andreae Matthioli medici senensis Commentarii, in libros sex Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbei, de medica materia

Cucurbita - De plantis Epitome utilissima, Petri Andreae Matthioli Senensis, medici excellentissimi, etc. Novis iconibus et descriptionibus pluribus nunc primum diligenter aucta, à D. Ioachimo Camerario medico inclytae Reip. Noribergensis.

References.                                             

ITIS Integrated Taxonomy Information System

Bird, Richard. Growing Squashes & Pumpkins: A Directory of Varieties and How to Cultivate Them Successfully. , 2016. Print.

Growing Pumpkins and Squashes. Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1963. Print.

Dimsey, Robert. Growing Pumpkins. Victoria: Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment, 1994. Internet resource.

Pumpkins. Mississippi State, Miss.: Mississippi State University Extension, 2010. Print.

Swanton, Tricia, Tricia Swanton, and Emma Borghesi. The Vegetable Bible. San Diego: Printers Row Publishing Group, 2015. Internet resource.

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