The noble, versatile pumpkin: more than just a jack-o’-lantern

An assortment of pumpkins and gourds. Photo credit: Annie Spratt

October marks the beginning of pumpkin season for many of us — browsing pumpkin patches for the perfect jack-o’-lantern and eventually enjoying pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. But, there’s more to this squash than decorations and holiday fun. Pumpkins have a long history in North America, including the Chesapeake Bay.

Pumpkins are a winter squash, related to cucumbers and melons, all of which are in the Cucurbitaceae family. Before selective breeding became widespread, pumpkins weren’t as big, perfectly spherical, or bright orange. Ancient pumpkins in Mexico had crooked necks, imperfect shapes, and were hard and bitter — but perfect for withstanding winters.

Pumpkins come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Photo credit: Quynh Tran

Scientists believe that pumpkins became cultivated in the Americas about 9,000-11,000 years ago for sustenance, evidenced by fossilized stems and seeds found in caves in the Tamaulipas mountains of Mexico. Pumpkins and other squash have historically been an essential staple crop for Indigenous people. These types of crops were traditionally planted along river banks, accompanied by maize and different types of legumes, known as the “Three Sisters” planting method. By planting them together, each plant helped sustain the others. The beans helped nourish the soil and could climb the corn stalks to reach more sunlight. The squash helped protect the corn’s shallow roots and fought off encroaching weeds. Before the emergence of maize, squash and beans were planted with sunflowers to provide a similar symbiotic relationship.

Indigenous People employing the “Three Sisters” planting method in a mural and diorama created by Beth Zaiken.

Somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago, pumpkins found their way to the plains and woodlands of central North America. Then they gradually moved east into the Chesapeake Bay watershed itself. The Powhatan Confederacy, Nanticoke, Piscataway, and Susquehannock people cultivated pumpkins and other squash for generations before European migrants arrived. Records indicate Indigenous people roasted the seeds and boiled the flesh and sun-dried it to store for winter stews. Another common early preparation of pumpkins was to bake them whole in the ashes of a fire, and eat the flesh with animal fat or honey. This is widely considered to be the precursor to today’s pumpkin pie.

Colonial farmers harvest pumpkins. Credit: American Orchard

As with Indigenous people, pumpkins became a vital food source for early European colonists. In places like Jamestown and St. Mary’s City, however, pumpkins were not at first highly regarded. They were generally thought of as a lower-quality crop, more suitable for livestock feed. But when imported European crops like wheat, barley and rye began failing, colonial populations grew to appreciate the hardy squash. Settlers quickly adopted pumpkin cooking methods like baking the flesh or dicing it for stews. They also found a use for pumpkins in brewing. Scarcity of traditional brewing ingredients like barley and malt in Chesapeake colonies led to fermenting pumpkin flesh with hops and molasses.

By the 1700s, Chesapeake colonists specifically embraced two varieties of pumpkin — large, round pumpkins produced cheaply for livestock fodder, and denser, more palatable varieties used for human consumption. Some popular eating pumpkins were the Long Island cheese pumpkin and the striped cushaw (known as the sweet potato pumpkin in the Chesapeake region). These “table heirloom” varieties became so popular that growers began transporting them along Chesapeake waterways to supply multiple markets in the region.

The jack-o’-lantern, one of the most iconic uses of pumpkins nowadays. Photo credit: Yaroslav Shuraev

We all know the most popular modern-day use for pumpkins in October — jack-o’-lanterns. That practice was brought to America by Irish immigrants, who previously carved jack-o’-lanterns out of potatoes or turnips. Once in America, the tradition switched to pumpkins because they were easier to carve. Like the colonists, Americans today primarily consume two types of pumpkins. The Connecticut field pumpkin — the classic, round, orange variety we all recognize for Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations, and the crookneck pumpkin — the elongated, tan-colored squash that most commercial pumpkin pie filling is made of.

Even today, pumpkins are a staple crop for Indigenous people from Mexico to Canada. Although demand increases in the fall, they are still eaten year-round in many different ways. Most of us like to eat the flesh and seeds of pumpkins, but every single part of the plant is edible, including the skin, leaves, flowers, and stems. They’re also great sources of potassium, vitamin A, and beta-carotene (the stuff that makes fruits and veggies orange). Next time you have a pumpkin you’re not sure what to do with, remember how versatile they are. You can make pies, soups, stews, puddings, purées, breads, cookies, pastas, curries, drinks and more!

One of my personal favorites, pumpkin bread with raisins. Photo credit: Barbara G.

Pumpkins are a staple for a reason. Although they’re hardy, can endure harsh winters and store well, they still need two things we all know are important to all life in the Chesapeake Bay — clean land and clean water. We must remember to do everything we can, whenever we can, to keep the Bay clean. Not only will it ensure we can have our fall fun for years to come, it will protect the valuable resource for everyone who lives, works and plays in the watershed.

Next time you have an unused pumpkin lying around this fall, consider exploring one of the many recipes available online. If you left your pumpkin decorations out a bit too long, think about delving into the world of composting! There are plenty of ways we can reduce pumpkin waste, and respectfully utilize this iconic squash to its fullest extent.

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