Pumpkin Day Is in October

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It wouldn’t quite feel like fall without pumpkins. As we enter the fall season, you may notice porches decorated with pumpkins of various sizes, pumpkins for sale in every store, and pumpkin spice flavored foods and drinks all around. Pumpkins have become a national symbol of fall. In fact, October 26th is widely celebrated as National Pumpkin Day. 

front porch steps lined with pumpkins

There are two camps for festive fall flavors – pumpkins and apples. (Read facts and recipes for apples here.) No matter which fall flavor is your favorite, there are plenty of ways to celebrate fall flavors in North Carolina. Randolph County is home to many farms where you can find apples, pumpkins, and themed events to help you celebrate them. Whether you decide to visit a cider house, an apple orchard, or a pumpkin patch, Randolph County has it all! Below you’ll find pumpkin themed events for October as as well as interesting pumpkin facts. 

You can catch us celebrating Pumpkin Day (a day early) at Ramseur Library on Friday, October 25th and Archdale Library on October 14th. At these youth events we’ll be sharing facts and information about pumpkins, taste testing a pumpkin recipe, and doing a fun pumpkin activity.

Contact Archdale Library to register for the Great Pumpkin Mystery. 

Register here for Ramseur Library Pumpkin Day: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pumpkin-day-at-ramseur-library-tickets-1003026056937 

Celebrating Beyond Flavor:

There is so much to celebrate when it comes to pumpkins – agriculture, flavor, and the many health benefits offered through the nutritional value of pumpkins. Below are some facts about pumpkin history, agriculture, and health benefits. 

  • Native to Mexico and Central America, pumpkins have been grown in North Carolina for nearly 5,000 years. 
  • All U.S. states produce some amount of pumpkins. 
  • While North Carolina is not the leading producer of pumpkins, it does produce nearly 30 million pounds of pumpkins each year.
  • In 2023, North Carolina grew and sold over $18.2 million worth of pumpkins.
  • Pumpkin is a winter squash that is usually considered a vegetable. However, pumpkin is technically a fruit. It is grown from a flower and contains seeds. 
  • The first recorded recipes for pumpkin pie came from 17th century England and involved strips of pumpkin layered and baked between two crusts. The closest thing to the pumpkin pie we know today first appeared in a cookbook published in America in 1796 called American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. She offers two recipes for a custard like pumpkin “pudding” baked in a pie crust. 
  • Pumpkins have great nutritional value:
    • These fruits are a good source of carotenoids and other phytochemicals beneficial to our health . Carotenoids are phytochemicals that help fight oxidative stress and lower our risk of chronic disease. 
    • Rich source of water (pumpkin is about 90% water) which is great for staying hydrated
    • Excellent source of fiber (7.1g per cup of canned pumpkin)
    • Rich Source of vitamins A & E

hands cutting into pumpkin pie missing a slice

Resources:

  • Crupi P, Faienza MF, Naeem MY, Corbo F, Clodoveo ML, Muraglia M. Overview of the Potential Beneficial Effects of Carotenoids on Consumer Health and Well-Being. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 May 10;12(5):1069. doi: 10.3390/antiox12051069. PMID: 37237935; PMCID: PMC10215867.
  • Batool M, Ranjha MMAN, Roobab U, Manzoor MF, Farooq U, Nadeem HR, Nadeem M, Kanwal R, AbdElgawad H, Al Jaouni SK, Selim S, Ibrahim SA. Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Potential, and Therapeutic Benefits of Pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.). Plants (Basel). 2022 May 24;11(11):1394. doi: 10.3390/plants11111394. PMID: 35684166; PMCID: PMC9182978.
  • Graf, R. (2024, August 17). Farm Facts: Pumpkins. North Carolina Field and Family. https://ncfieldfamily.org/farm/farm-facts-pumpkins/
  • Terrell, E. (2017, November 20). A Brief History of Pumpkin Pie in America | Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business. Blogs.loc.gov. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2017/11/a-brief-history-of-pumpkin-pie-in-america/
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