Pumpkins: How to Make Harvest Food and Decoration

Did you know that pumpkins were once recommended as a cure for freckles or a snake bite remedy?  The pumpkin, a member of the Curcurbits family which contains squash and cucumber has been used for hundreds of years.  Pumpkins are believed to have originated in Central America as similar types of seeds have been found in that date back over five thousand years.




The pumpkin has become closely associated with Halloween and Thanksgiving not only for pumpkin pies but also for decorating our homes during the harvest season. Many people enjoy carving pumpkins for display, but did you know that the Jack-o-Lantern was brought to by the Irish?




The Legend of the Jack- o- Lantern




The legend of the Jack-o-Lantern originates in Irish folklore.  Stingy Jack, a miserable old thief, loved to play pranks and tricks upon his neighbors, his mother, and even the Devil. The legend tells of Jack convincing the Devil to climb to the top of an apple tree.  When he reached the top, Jack placed crosses all around the base of the tree preventing the Devil from getting down.  He made the Devil promise not to take his soul when he died. After the promise was made, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down from the tree. When Stingy Jack died, St. Peter would not let him into heaven as he had lived a worthless life.  So, Jack went to the Devil who kept his promise and would not let Jack into hell.  Jack was doomed to wander in the darkness between heaven and hell.  He asked the Devil how he would see in the dark.  The Devil gave Stingy Jack light from the flames of hell which Jack placed inside a stolen hollowed out turnip that that he liked to carry.  From that day on, Stingy Jack wandered the darkness carrying a Jack-o-Lantern.




The Irish on all Hollow’s Eve put lit candles into gourds or turnips to keep Stingy Jack away.  The Irish brought this ritual with them when they immigrated to.  However, they discovered that pumpkins were larger and easier to use.