--- title: 10 Crazy Facts About Pumpkins description: Long before pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pancakes and, well, pumpkin everything, came the humble orange pumpkin. Here, some fascinating trivia you might not know about fall’s signature vegetable (er, fruit) canonical: https://time.com/3544386/10-crazy-facts-about-pumpkins/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-29T11:00:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:14:08.779Z og:title: 10 Weird Pumpkin Facts You Need to Know og:description: Long before pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pancakes and, well, pumpkin everything, came the humble orange pumpkin. Here, some fascinating trivia you might not know about fall’s signature vegetable (er, fruit) og:url: https://time.com/3544386/10-crazy-facts-about-pumpkins/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6100bcb8473e902e/69876318e20a8704e0a82b55/pumpkins1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3888 og:image:height: 2187 og:image:alt: Pumpkins og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Weird Pumpkin Facts You Need to Know twitter:description: Long before pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pancakes and, well, pumpkin everything, came the humble orange pumpkin. Here, some fascinating trivia you might not know about fall’s signature vegetable (er, fruit) twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6100bcb8473e902e/69876318e20a8704e0a82b55/pumpkins1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Yes, You Actually Need to Know These 10 Weird Pumpkin Facts > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Oct 29, 2014 11:00 AM UTC  Self Sufficient Households Self Sufficient Households Lina Messier—Getty Images/Moment Open by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Oct 29, 2014 11:00 AM UTC _This_ [_article_](http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/pumpkin-facts) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://www.realsimple.com/)_._ 1\. The Jack-o-Lantern tradition dates back centuries, when people in Ireland decorated turnips and potatoes with scary faces to frighten away a scary character named “Stingy Jack,” who, accoring to an old myth, roamed the Earth after his death, as the [History Channel](http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history) tells the story. Irish immigrants then brought the practice to the U.S., where it was adapted to the native pumpkins. 2\. Pumpkins were first grown in Central America. They’ve grown in North America for [5,000 years](http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/pumpkin-facts), and today, about 95% of the pumpkins processed in the U.S. are grown in Illinois, [according to the University of Illinois](http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gardenerscorner/issue%5F02/fall%5F05%5F05.cfm). Morton, Illinois calls itself the “Pumpkin Capital of the World” (supposedly processing [80% of the world’s](http://www.mortonpumpkinfestival.org/) canned pumpkin). ([MORE: 8 Easy Halloween Hairstyles](//www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/hair/tools-techniques/halloween-hairstyles?xid=time-rs-102314)) 3\. Though the original Cinderella story dates back to about the 1st century B.C., the detail about the [pumpkin turning into a carriage](http://books.google.com/books?id=ZqsCqECNy%5FEC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=when+did+pumpkin+get+added+to+cinderella+story&source=bl&ots=yntNT6u9Hb&sig=ZHOegHJkFfFB-6cvEbKRhZReixY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=waLfU9vyEpWeyAT5jYD4Cg&ved=0CGUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Perrault%20pumpkin&f=false) reportedly wasn’t added until 1697, in a French version by Charles Perrault called “Cendrillon.” 4\. One cup of mashed pumpkin contains a whopping 245% of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin A, plus 19% of your Vitamin C and 8 percent of your iron). That’s a veritable superfood (just not in latte form—[pumpkin spice lattes](http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/08/25/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-food-babe-nutritionist/14578839/) typically don’t include actual pumpkins, only the spice mix). ([MORE: Easy Halloween Cupcakes](//www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/desserts/halloween-cupcakes?xid=time-rs-102314)) 5\. When it comes to baking, 2- to 8-pound varieties are your best bets for [flavor and density.](http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/common-types-winter-squash/pumpkin) Save the big ones for carving. 6\. The [United States produces](http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-alternatives/horticulture/melons-and-pumpkins/pumpkin-production) more than one _billion_ pounds of pumpkins each year. ([MORE: Which Halloween Candy Is Healthier?](//www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/healthier-halloween-candy?xid=time-rs-102314)) 7\. A pumpkin is technically [a fruit](http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/fruit-vegetable-difference/bgp-20056141), and a member [of the gourd family](http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/pumpkin-facts). Their [botanical name](http://www.almanac.com/plant/pumpkins) is Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata, C. argyrosperma, and they require 75 to 100 frost-free days to grow, meaning they need to be planted by late May to early July to be ready in time for Halloween. 8\. [The Guinness World Record](http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-1/heaviest-pumpkin/) for the Heaviest Pumpkin is currently held by Ron Wallace in the United States for his 2,009-pound pumpkin, presented at the New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off at Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, Massachusetts in September 2012. ([MORE: 16 Silly Halloween Costumes for Pets](//www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/halloween-costumes-pets?xid=time-rs-102314)) 9\. The [oldest pumpkin seeds](http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=JJkcpAHkKHMC&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=%22pumpkin%22%2B%22crust%22%2B%22colonial%22&ots=dmp79w%5FYLj&sig=Hymt26-BWRBh3ZN9E8yGe8whKpY#v=onepage&q=10%2C000&f=false) date back 8,000 to 10,000 years. 10\. According to the American Pie Council (yup, there is such a thing), pumpkin is America’s _second_favorite kind of pie. Nineteen percent report preferring apple pie, compared to [13% for pumpkin](http://www.piecouncil.org/pdf/Pie%5FFun%5FFacts.pdf). ([MORE: 8 Cute Toddler Halloween Costumes](//www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/Cute%20Toddler%20Halloween%20Costumes?xid=time-rs-102314)) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3544386/10-crazy-facts-about-pumpkins/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3544386/10-crazy-facts-about-pumpkins/"},"headline":"Yes, You Actually Need to Know These 10 Weird Pumpkin Facts","datePublished":"2014-10-29T11:00:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:14:08.779Z","description":"Long before pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pancakes and, well, pumpkin everything, came the humble orange pumpkin. 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