PUMPKINS ARE NATURAL PART OF HALLOWEEN FUN

When we think of Halloween, we naturally think of pumpkins.

To most of us Halloween would not be the same without pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns. Whether pumpkins are a part of a Halloween arrangement, or a pumpkin pie or other pumpkin dessert, this totally American vegetable is important in our traditions.

Have you noticed how many more Halloween decorations one sees each year? Ghosts and goblins, bales of straw, hay stacks, replica grave yards, painted faces on pumpkins, miniature trees with black cats, ghosts, lights and lanterns and other decorations adorn many porches and yards for this special holiday for children (and adults).

There is also the Great Pumpkin contest when the largest pumpkin is designated. Last year's winner weighed 840 pounds. Each year this contest is held in early October. About 80 out of every 100 pumpkins grown are sold in October, and if it were not for Halloween, most pumpkin growers would be out of business, a grower said.

Pumpkins belong to the same family as squash, watermelons, cucumbers, cantaloupes, honeydews and gourds. The latter are often dried and used in autumn arrangements with chrysanthemums and other fall plants.

Some large scale farmers inter plant pumpkins with corn. It is believed by many that pumpkin vines with corn discourage depredations by raccoons. They (raccoons) like to look around as they eat, and don't like the big pumpkin leaves obscuring their vision, or dangling around their feet if they decide to make a quick getaway.

Few people realize the tremendous value of one of nature's most delectable foods--the pumpkin seeds. The seeds have been used since Biblical times and they contain protein, vitamins, minerals and some hormones. Middle Eastern people considered the seeds an inexhaustible source of energy offered by a bountiful nature.

The custom of making jack-o'-lanterns originated in Scotland long before pumpkins had been introduced into that area from Central and South America.

Halloween goes back to the Celts of Britain and Northern France. It was believed that on October 31 the spirits of all ancestors arose and congregated for assignments during the coming year. Anyone who went out on that night carried a lantern for protection.

It was the custom in Scotland to hollow out large turnips or rutabagas and place candles inside them. Originally, holes were put in the sides only to shed light, but these later became faces, possibly to scare off the evil spirits.

This is possibly where the lighting of the pumpkins today had its beginning. Today when candles are put into pumpkins one is careful that the pumpkin selected is well formed and is solid. Those that tend to sway may topple over and are a great fire hazard when lighted candles are used. Holes must be cut or slits made along the edge of the top or lid of the pumpkin to allow heat to escape more rapidly.

Perhaps because of its basic relationship to the mysticism of Halloween the pumpkin has also found symbolism in fairy tales and other legends. No other vegetable has had such a pronounced influence on children's tales. We may have been awed by its romantic transformation in Cinderella, or horrified at its use as a cage to confine the wife of Peter, the pumpkin eater. A pumpkin head provided the dramatic impact in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and sympathy in some of the sequels to "The Wizard of Oz".

Although we may relate to the picture painted by James Whitcomb Riley in his poem which begins, "When the frost is on the pumpkin----" there is no need for frost to be on a pumpkin and cold weather can actually damage the tissue and reduce storage life.

This year's craft fairs have displayed cleverly painted pumpkins (real ones) that have been shellaced for preservation and giving smoothness for the skin for the artist's paint brush.

There is a legend that says that at midnight on Halloween all pumpkins leave their vines and dance across the fields.

An Irish legend says the name jack-o'-lantern came from the story of a man named Jack who was so mean, stingy and tricky that after he died he went to the devil. He was so bad that even the devil didn't want him because he was so miserable.

When Jack arrived, eating a turnip, the devil tossed him a burning coal and said, "Put this inside the turnip you are eating. This will be your lantern."

So Jack can be seen on Halloween to this day, carrying his lantern and looking for a place to stay.

Have a safe and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!