| Pumpkin History
and Pies |
Q.
Where were the first pumpkins grown?
A. Pumpkins are believed to have been first cultivated in Central America. Spanish and Portuguese explorers carried pumpkin seeds back to Europe in the 14th century. In North America, Native Americans grew pumpkins for food long before the first Europeans arrived on the continent in the 1600s. |
Q. Why are pumpkins
orange?
A. The vivid orange color of pumpkin indicates a high content of carotene pigments such as lutein, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene (which turns in to vitamin A in the body). |
Q. Why are pumpkins
associated with Halloween?
A. Using pumpkins as lanterns at Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic custom brought to America by Irish immigrants. All Hallows Eve on October 31st marked the end of the old Celtic calendar year. On that night hollowed-out turnips, beets and rutabagas with a candle inside were placed on windowsills and porches to welcome home spirits of deceased ancestors and ward off evil spirits and a restless soul called “Stingy Jack.” |
Q.
Is the Halloween jack o’lantern the same as a LIBBY’S
pumpkin?
A. Both pumpkins are members of the squash family grown on a variety of plant named Cucurbita pepo. However, LIBBY’S pumpkins were specially developed over time and are officially named the LIBBY’S Select Dickinson pumpkin. The LIBBY’S Select Dickinson pumpkin is smaller, squatter, meatier, heavier and sweeter than the Halloween pumpkin. It has a creamy texture and fresh pure pumpkin flavor – perfect for cooking! |
Q. Why do we
eat pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving?
A. In 1621, at the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to give thanks for their first successful harvest, they ate a pumpkin custard flavored with maple syrup and spices baked in pumpkin shells. The beloved Thanksgiving pumpkin pie evolved from this treat. |
Q.
What is the world's biggest pumpkin pie?
A. As reported in USA Today November 2004, "The biggest pumpkin pie on record weighed 418 pounds and was made by Windsor Farmers Market and Windsor High School Culinary Arts program in California.
| Ingredients |
| Pumpkin | 12.3 Gallons |
| Milk | 8 Gallons |
| Hen Eggs |
224 |
| Ostrich Eggs |
2 |
| Sugar | 56 Pounds |
| Flour | 24 Pounds |
| Butter | 8 Pounds |
| Vanilla | 1 Cup |
| Spices |
207 Teaspoons |
| Recorded as of October 2003. |
| Sources: guinnessworldrecords.com and Libby's Pumpkin. |
But records are meant to be
broken! As of February 2006, The Guinness
Book of World Records recognizes a 2020-pound
pie as biggest pumpkin pie on record. It was
made by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers
from New Bremen, Ohio.
That’s a huge pie! The
record-breaking bakers say they used Libby’s
Famous Pumpkin Pie Recipe (with a few modifications).
So if you happen to have more than 900 pounds
of pumpkin lying around, you could try to set
your own record! Be warned, they had help from
a very supportive community. It’s not easy
to come by an oven that can handle a pie that’s
over twelve feet wide, much less a pan to bake
it in!
| Ingredients |
|
| Pumpkin |
900 Pounds |
| Evap. Milk |
62 Gallons |
| Eggs |
155 Dozen |
| Sugar |
300 Pounds |
| Salt |
3.5 Pounds |
| Cinnamon |
7 Pounds |
| Pumpkin Spice |
2 Pounds |
| Crust |
250 Pounds |
| |
|
| Recorded as of February
2006. |
| Sources: guinnessworldrecords.com
and Libby's Pumpkin. |
|
 |
| Growing LIBBY'S
Pumpkins |
Q.
What state would you visit to find where LIBBY’S
pumpkins grow?
A. LIBBY’S Dickinson Select pumpkins
are grown exclusively in the rich farmlands around
Morton, Illinois. |
Q.
How many acres of LIBBY’S pumpkins are
planted every year?
A. Approximately 5,000 acres of Select Dickinson
pumpkins are planted each year exclusively for
LIBBY’S. |
Q. Is the pumpkin
a vegetable or a fruit?
A. Surprise! The pumpkin is actually a fruit,
a member of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants
with trailing vines. |
Q. How big
was the largest pumpkin ever grown?
A. Gerry
Checkon of Altoona, Pennsylvania grew a pumpkin
weighing 1,131 pounds from Atlantic Giant seed
stock on October 2, 1999. |
Q.
How many LIBBY’S
pumpkin pies are consumed each year?
A: More than 50 million pumpkin
pies are baked
and consumed each year. Many other savory and
delicious LIBBY’S Pumpkin recipes are enjoyed each year too. |
Q.
When does the LIBBY’S Pumpkin harvest
begin?
A. Harvesting traditionally starts around mid-August
each year and ends around the last week of October. |
Q.
How long does it take to pick and can LIBBY’S
Pumpkin?
A: It only
takes approximately 70 days to pick and can all
the pumpkins. And, to ensure freshness,
LIBBY’S Pumpkin is canned the same
day it is harvested. |
|