It’s National Pumpkin Day! This is the time of year to celebrate everything pumpkin and recognize this squash for its history and traditions. If pumpkins are part of your holiday celebrations, enjoy them in all forms, colors, uses, and flavors!

Pumpkins come in many different sizes. Did you know, the heaviest recorded pumpkin in the world weighed over 2,700 pounds and was grown in Tuscany, Italy according to the Guinness World Records? That’s a lot of pumpkin!

Thoughts for National Pumpkin Day:

1. All pumpkins should be carved by an adult and/or youth should only carve pumpkins under the supervision of an adult. It’s a great time of the year to teach proper knife skills to children. Not a bad idea for adults to review knife safety recommendations as well. Be safe. https://localfood.ces.ncsu.edu/local-food-nutrition-health/cooking-local-foods/knife-skills/

2. If you would like to use pumpkin in your favorite fall recipe, buy two pumpkins, one for carving and decorating and the other one for eating. You can purchase canned pumpkin and it’s a good idea to have a few cans on hand, when you get inspired to bake. There are so many ways to enjoy pumpkin including in a pie, dip, latte, scone, bread, and/or souffle to name a few. Try a new recipe today. My colleague loves pumpkin dip this time of the year and I am going to try her recipe soon with some fresh fruit.

FESTIVE PUMPKIN DIP RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin puree

1 cup nonfat, plain yogurt

1/8 cup of honey or 1/4 cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Strawberries, apple slices, bananas, and/or vanilla wafers

Directions:

• Wash hands for at least 20 seconds
• In a large bowl, combine the can of pumpkin puree, nonfat yogurt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• Add sugar or honey, a little bit at a time, to reach the desired sweetness. NOTE: You may use more or less according to your preference. Mix well. Chill.
• Wash fresh fruit and slice the apples and bananas. NOTE: Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.
• Place chilled pumpkin dip in bowl and place fruit and vanilla waters on a platter with the dip bowl.
• Enjoy this pumpkin dip with fresh strawberries, apple slices, bananas, and/or vanilla wafers.

3. Pumpkins do have some nutritional value. Pumpkins are a source of vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. The vitamin C may be beneficial to your immune system, which can’t hurt during this time of year (flu season). Roasted Pumpkin seeds are a tasty autumn treat too. https://news.extension.uconn.edu/2020/10/26/how-to-roast-pumpkin-seeds/

4. This is such a fun topic! Read more about pumpkins regarding them as decoration or food: https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/browardco/2018/10/22/pumpkins-decoration-or-food/

5. Let the pumpkin celebration continue. Support our pumpkin farmers at the same time!

Links to learn more:

MyPlate Healthy Fruits: https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/fruits

MyPlate Vegetables: https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/vegetables

An equal opportunity institution.

3