Availability Dates: October

Picking Information:
We have all shapes and sizes of pumpkins and gourds for you and your family to pick. Go for a hay ride or pull the kids on one of our small wagons down the lane to the pumpkin patch. Pumpkin harvest is a magical time for kids of all ages at Brown's Berry Patch. The farm is all decorated and there are lots of fun family activities and good food.

Description:
Common name for the genus Cucurbita of the family Cucurbitaceae ( gourd family), a group that includes the pumpkins and squashes—the names may be used interchangeably and without botanical distinction. C. pepo, a species that includes varieties of pumpkin, vegetable marrow (a common European vegetable), and summer squash, has been cultivated so long that its wild form no longer exists and its place of origin is uncertain. If it is native to Asia it was introduced to America in prehistoric times; squashes, corn, and lima beans were the chief crops cultivated by pre-Columbian Native Americans. The pumpkin was among the fruits of the first Thanksgiving celebration of the Pilgrims; it has been a favorite pie filling for autumn festivities ever since, and its shell is carved into the Halloween jack-o'-lantern.

Source: Encyclopedia.com

Nutritional Facts:

1 cup, cooked Pumpkin = 245 grams
Energy	kcal	49
Water	g	229.54
Fiber	g	2.7
Fat	g	0.17
Protein	g	1.76
Sugar	g	2.50
Calcium	mg	37
Potassium	mg	564
Vitamin A, IU	IU	12230
Vitamin C	mg	11.5
Vitamin E	mg	1.96
Vitamin K	mcg	2.0

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database

Recipe Corner:

Find this recipe along with numerous others that use pumpkin in our Fruits of the Farm cookbook. Click here for more cookbook information!

Pumpkin Jelly
	Alice Young
2 c. cooked mashed or canned pumpkin	2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. honey	1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped dried apricots,
peaches or dates
Combine pumpkin, honey, fruit, lemon juice and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring constantly. Great on toast, muffins or pancakes. May be frozen.