Fall brings the sight of a field filled with beautiful orange pumpkins resting amongst the bushy undergrowth.  It always signals that Halloween is just around the corner and that the holiday season is upon us.  They grow on vines that run along the pumpkin patch floor. We carve them into spooky decorations and are delicious when baked, but what exactly is a pumpkin anyway?

They look slightly alien, but there are stranger looking things than the pumpkin. Want to know a secret?  I am going to let you in on the truth now about the mysterious orange things we love so much. A pumpkin is really a squash, in the gourd family.

In school we hollowed out those strange shaped vegetables, filled them with beads and made them into an instrument that drove my mother insane for all the noise they made.  You can usually identify a gourd by its orange, green or greenish yellow coloring.

A pumpkin, on the other hand, is a large gourd, and we use them for many other things than just a noisemaker that will drive parents to the brink of deafness.   Artistically, the shell of a gourd that has been dried can be used to make beautiful lamps, cups or even bowls. With a pumpkin, however, the rind is not as sturdy, but it works great for holding candles to ad ambiance to your Halloween gatherings. You can even use it as a unique centerpiece at your Thanksgiving dinner as a serving dish for foods, such as soups and stuffing.

Much like the more familiar squashes, such as zucchini,  you can slice pumpkin and stir fry it. Even though pumpkins tend to be larger and rounder than other squash, you can use them in the same way you would use other squash. Once a pumpkin has been picked, keep it on a raised surface in a cool dark place, and it will keep for months!

The stem of a pumpkin is prickly and more rigid than that of other squash. Carrying or handling a pumpkin by it’s stem can actually damage the fruit, and therefore we recommend carrying the pumpkin by supporting its bottom.

The word pumpkin means “large melon.” You can eat it raw or cooked, but you will get the most of its nutritional value by eating it raw. Most of us would not consider a pumpkin a fruit, but one criterion for something to be considered a fruit is the fact that seeds are present. Since pumpkins are full of seeds, that is what makes it correctly classified as a fruit.

In fact, pumpkin seeds make a great snack roasted or you can use them as a decorative garnish in other dishes. Did you know that pumpkins are not always orange. Last year, my daughters were given an albino pumpkin.  I had never seen one before then.  The albino pumpkins are naturally white, not painted.

Pumpkins also come in red, purple, or green. I wonder what fall would be if we replaced all that orange with red and purple pumpkins??   Don’t worry, there are plenty of orange ones around to insure that things won’t change anytime soon.

As a kid, this was my favorite Charlie Brown movie of all time.  If you are at least as old as I am sure you have also seen “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”, or at least heard of it. But does such a thing actually exist? The only one rumored to have seen him has no corroborating witness to validate the claim.

We need to resolve this once and for all. The story started with Charles Schultz and a little boy named Linus. Now, all kids want to know “Who is the Great Pumpkin?”

According to Shultz’s story, the Great Pumpkin goes to all of the pumpkin patches around the world. The one who has the best pumkin patch, in the Great Pumpkin’s opinion, will be the only one to see him. Candy and treats are left for those who have at least made the effort.

OK, I know when I was growing up, I was not the one who grew the pumpkins in our garden.  I helped my grandfather plant the seeds, but ultimately it was him and my dad who took care of the plants.  So why is it that children seem to get all the fun?

The Great Pumpkin was thought up by Peanuts creator Charles Schultz. Linus tries to convince Charlie Brown and the rest of the group that they should wait in a dark and creepy pumpkin patch instead of going door to door for their treats.

As one would expect everyone except Sally, Charlie Brown’s siter, ignores Linus.   As I am sure you might remember, Sally was so in love with Linus that she would do just about anything for him.  She doesn’t get that this is just a bunch of pumpkin poo, because she loves him so much.  Eventually, even Sally had had enough of sitting in a pumpkin patch while everyone else was out getting loads of candy and they weren’t itchy from spending the night in a pumpkin patch either.  Conversely, I wonder if Sally’s parents had any idea where she was every Halloween night?  I don’t think I would approve of my daughter spending the night with a boy out in the pumpkin patch!

Many parents, to save themselves the horror of waking up to missing children because they have snuck off to sit in a pumpkin patch, have used the Great Pumpkin myth to create some traditions of their own.  Here is just one idea on how you can create your own Great Pumpkin traditions.

It is said that the modern day Great Pumkin rewards those children who are kind and giving in nature.  Kids who donate half of their candy booty to a good cause will get a visit from the Great Pumpkin.  He will collect the donated candy, and in its place he will leave a small gift or possibly even a bit of cash.  Besides, no one can possibly eat all that candy and they get something great in return for their generosity.

There are many other ways that you can have the Great Pumpkin manifest himself through the fall season.  Who knows where he may turn up.  I guess we’ll all learn whether or not Linus’ beliefs were well placed.

Often, holidays make sense to us due to common knowledge.  On  the other hand, even though we celebrate a holiday, the reasons for it can be quite hard to determine.  One such example of this is “Carve a Pumpkin Day”.  If you are like me, you have probably never heard of this holiday before today.  Don’t feel bad, most people have not heard of it either.

The same as Halloween, Carve a Pumpkin Day is October 31.  One would assume that since this holiday is tied to Halloween, it would be enthusiastically celebrated and documented. We, however, did not find the creator, or the origin of this holiday.  Aside from E-card companies and calendar websites, there is little reference to this day.

People choose to carve their pumpkins when the whole family can participate, and therefore, a specific day has not been designated for Carve a Pumpkin Day.  If you are part of the masses that celebrate Halloween you’re more than likely going to be carving a pumpkin.

Want to create a Carve A Pumpkin Day tradition of your own?  Then just follow these steps:

1.  Do not pick your pumpkins any earlier than 10 to 14 days before Halloween.  Buying your pumpkin too early will lead to less than desired results when it comes time to carve them. If the weather is warm, refrigerate your pumpkin until you are ready to carve it.

2.  Plan to carve your pumpkins no more than three days before Halloween.  Why?  Because your pumpkins will begin to rot very quickly once you carve them.  You can help preserve them by storing them for the night in the refrigerator if the temperatures are warm.

3.  Have a pumpkin carving party.  Invite friend to bring their pumpkins over and carve them together.  You may want to have fall themed snacks and beverages to enjoy.

4.  Before you actually carve your pumpkins, use washable markers and have your kids draw the design they’d like on their pumpkins.  That way if they make a mistake, correcting it is as easy as washing it off and starting again.  The adults can use patterns to map out their masterpieces.  When you’re happy with the design, it’s time to start carving.

5.  To avoid injury, never let the kids handle the carving tools unless they have a special “kiddie” carving set.

After the pumpkins are all cleaned out and carved, line them up and have a contest and give out small prizes for the scariest, funniest, and  most intricate.  Avoid picking only one and saying it is the “best”, that way we don’t have anyone having ghastly tantrums because they felt  that their pumpkin wasn’t spooktacular.

What do you do with all the “guts” from the pumpkin you might ask?  Make a healthy snack of course!  Instead of throwing the seeds away when the pumpkins are cleaned out, wash them and then roast them for an great snack.  You can make them either salted or unsalted; whichever way you like them best.

If you’re celebrating Halloween and planning on carving at least one pumpkin to decorate your house anyway, why not celebrate Carve a Pumpkin Day?  You can even turn it into part of your Halloween festivities by inviting friends to join in the fun.  In fact, why not create a yearly tradition of rotating whose house Carve a Pumpkin Day will be hosted at.

Have you ever wished you could have one special day to celebrate and savor your favorite food?  Well, there’s a good chance that you can do just that.  There seems to be food holidays just about every day (or month) of the year.  Clearly someone had way too much time on their hands to be sitting around thinking up these wacky celebrations.  Crazy as they are, however, people find ways to make the most of these unique food festivities.

If you are a fan of breakfast, you might be interested to know that the 3rd Saturday in March is Maple Syrup Saturday.  With any luck, that Saturday will fall on March 25, because that’s Waffle Day.  Maple syrup isn’t just for Saturdays, however, because December 17 is National Maple Syrup Day.  You may find it odd that National Pancake Week is February 21-27 but National Pancake Day is September 26.  Equally strange is that May is National Egg Month, but Eggs Benedict Day is April 16.  September is both All American Breakfast Month and Better Breakfast Month.  If it’s fiber you want, try January.  That’s both Oatmeal Month and Prune Breakfast Month.  Oatmeal Muffin Day is December 19 and October is National Applejack Month.

Breakfast isn’t the only meal that gets to indulge in the merriment.  There are a plethora of main dishes that have their own day as well.  March 28 is Something on a Stick Day.  If you are a pizza lover (and who isn’t), you’ll want to mark your calendar for National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day.  That is on November 12.  May is National Barbecue Month.  It is also National Hamburger Month, yet National Hamburger Day is seven months later on December 21.

You are probably wondering, “What about the junk food?”  You’re in luck.  Now you will have an excuse to partake of your favorite indulgence.  Do you like potato chips?  National Potato Chip Day is March 14.  Wait just a few days and you can add dip because March 23 is National Chip and Dip Day.  National Pretzel Day is April 26.  However, if you love pretzels so much, you need a whole month to enjoy them, October is National Pretzel Month.  If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth Donut Day is the first weekend in June, but September 14 is National Cream-filled Donut Day.  Pop all the popcorn you want in October, National Popcorn-Poppin’ Month, but don’t eat it until January 19 or January 31.  Both days are National Popcorn Day.

June is National Dairy Month.  Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day is July 29.  It seems on this day you must buy some cheese and sacrifice it to a mousetrap.  Moldy Cheese Day is October 9.  This is not a typo.  Try to find some moldy cheese in your refrigerator and enjoy.

Let’s not forget about the people that make all this food available.  I’m referring to all the cooks in all the kitchens around the nation.  Yes, there is even a holiday for all the cooks that have ever burned their hand touching a fiery hot pan without an oven mitt or swept up broken dishes on a regular basis.  Be sure to set some time aside on June 13 for your favorite accident-prone chef because it’s Kitchen Klutzes of America Day.
Did you find your preferred food listed here?  If not, don’t worry.  There are too many food holidays to mention, but if you do some searching, I’m sure you will find your favorite.