you're listening to a reading of pumpkins by toadstools and fairy dust
creatively read and adapted by miss jill
it's fall pumpkins are everywhere from halloween jack-o'-lanterns to thanksgiving pie
the pumpkin is the star of the show when the jack-o-lantern smiles we smile too the pumpkin
is a fruit not a vegetable like all fruits it has seeds inside that can grow into new pumpkins
pumpkins can come in red white or even blue here are just a few kinds of pumpkins
the connecticut field is grown for carving not for eating the sweet small sugar
makes a wonderful blue ribbon pie and the jack be little can fit into your hands
but the atlantic giant pumpkin can weigh more than your entire family
people in latin america have been eating pumpkins for a long time
in mexico pumpkin seeds more than 11 000 years old have been found in caves in peru and mexico
there are beautiful pots shaped like pumpkins for hundreds of years native americans grew
pumpkins for food and medicine the pumpkin family beans and corn were called the three sisters
the iroquois indians believe these important crops were gifts from god
in 1620 the mayflower pilgrims arrived in what is now massachusetts during the first winter nearly
half of them starved to death in the spring of 1621 chief squanto taught the survivors to
plant pumpkins the fruit was special because it stayed fresh through the long winter when
stored in a root cellar the pilgrims sprinkled pumpkin seeds among the corn and fertilize them
with fish squanto showed them that growing corn and pumpkins together was good for both crops
the pumpkin plants large leaves kept weeds away and helped kept the soil wet
for many years americans ate lots of pumpkin
then at the end of the 19th century refrigeration was invented people didn't need root cellars
anymore because the refrigerator kept stuff fresh so people didn't eat as much pumpkin
today nine of 10 of the pumpkins people buy are used to make jack-o'-lanterns
every year more than a hundred million pumpkins are grown on farms in the united states
growing pumpkins takes lots of water and fertilizer
farmers loosen the soil so that air and rainwater can reach the roots of the pumpkin plants
finally when the soil is warm they plant the pumpkin seeds soon beautiful flowers appear
each pumpkin plant has both male and female blossoms bees carry pollen from
the male flower to the female flower this is called pollination after pollination the bump
at the base of the female flower begins to grow into a pumpkin it will grow for 80 to 120 days
by mid-october the fruit is ready for picking just in time for halloween
while most pumpkins are grown on farms some gardeners grow them in their backyards
many people plant the new smaller varieties of pumpkins but a few gardeners just want to grow
a prize-winning giant pumpkin they pamper their pumpkins with huge amounts of water fertilizer and
time some even give theirs names like goliath king kong or tarzan others think that playing music for
their plants will help them grow bigger now the name jack-o'-lantern comes from an irish folk tale
about a foolish man named stingy jack he was forced to wander the earth
to light his way he carved a lantern out of a turnip and placed a burning coal inside
people called him jack of the lantern or just jack-o'-lantern in america today
people carve jack-o-lanterns just for fun but now they use pumpkins instead of turnips
not only are pumpkins easier to carve but big pumpkin jack-o-lanterns are much scarier
try this try to carve your own jack-o-lantern choose a pumpkin with an interesting shape and
a flat bottom to make the lid draw a circle around the stem then draw a face on your
pumpkin with a felt tip marker with an adult's help cut along the line of the stem be sure to
point the knife towards the center this will help keep the lid from falling down into your pumpkin
and be sure that the opening is big enough for your hand to fit through
now scoop out the seeds and all the stringy slimy yucky stuff but save those seeds for toasting
then with an adult's help cut along the lines making sure each cut goes all the
way through the shell have an adult help you place a candle inside the pumpkin so it won't fall over
after lighting the candle for the first time punch a small hole inside the lid where the flame
is burnt the flesh black this chimney will help keep the candle burning maybe sprinkle a little
cinnamon or nutmeg inside the lid when the candle is lit that jack-o-lantern is gonna smell like
pumpkin pie to keep your jack-o'-lantern looking fresh rub the cut edges with petroleum jelly
and store it in a cool place now pumpkins aren't just for carving they're also a great health food
pumpkins have lots of vitamin a which is good for your eyes your skin teeth and bones and vitamin
c which helps fight infection pumpkins can be made into butter cookies breads and puddings
they can be roasted or whipped into ice cream but it's pumpkin pie that we love best the
end be sure to save those seeds there's tons of recipes online for toasting