Pumpkin Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Pumpkin Patch
  • Name: Pumpkin
  • Type of Food: Winter Squash (Fruit)
  • Produced From: Cucurbita pepo
  • Total Calories: 49 (1 cup serving)
  • Total Fat: 0 grams (1 cup serving)
  • Total Protein: 2 grams (1 cup serving)
  • Total Carbohydrates: 12 grams (1 cup serving)

23 Pumpkin Facts for Kids

  1. A pumpkin is a winter squash grown for consumption and other uses.
  2. A pumpkin has a roundish shape, with slight horizontally ribbed skin.
  3. Pumpkins are usually orange or a deep yellow color.
  4. Pumpkins have a thick shell and inside of that shell is pulp that contains seeds.
  5. Common pumpkins are the species cucurbita pepo of the Cucurbita genus.
  6. Other species of the Cucurbita genus are sometimes called pumpkins, like C. argyrosperma, C. maxima and C. moschata.
  7. Pumpkins are native to the Northern America, specifically the southern United States and northeastern Mexico.
  8. Pumpkins are considered one of the world’s oldest domesticated plants, going back as far as 7,500 BC.
  9. Pumpkins are grown as a food source, like pumpkin pie or roasted pumpkin seeds.
  10. One cup of pumpkin (116 grams) has 30 calories.
  11. One cup of pumpkin (116 grams) has 0 grams of fat.
  12. One cup of pumpkin (116 grams) has 0 grams of cholesterol.
  13. One cup of pumpkin (116 grams) has 1 milligram of sodium (salt).
  14. One cup of pumpkin (116 grams) has 8 grams of carbohydrates.
  15. One cup of pumpkin (116 grams) has 1 gram of protein.
  16. One cup of pumpkin (116 grams) has 23 grams of calcium, 1 gram of iron and 395 milligrams of potassium.
  17. In 2017, the largest producer of pumpkins was China with over 8.8 million tons.
  18. In 2017, China account for almost a third of all the pumpkin production worldwide.
  19. In 2017, the world produced over 30 million tons of pumpkins.
  20. In 2017, the United States of America produced over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins.
  21. Pumpkins are also used as ornaments during Thanksgiving and Halloween in the United States.
  22. In the United States, it’s common to clean out pumpkins and carve faces into them for Halloween.
  23. Pumpkins that are carved for Halloween are called jack-o’-lanterns.

Additional Resources on Pumpkins

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