My View from the Pilot house By Mike Boys Pilot News Consultant
A nother sign of fall is the arrival of that round, orange, squash-like,  thing we call pumpkins.
         Of course, Linus knows that the GREAT PUMPKIN will rise up from the pumpkin patch and give toys to all the kids.  Yeh, well, uh ... I used to raise pumpkins in our “pumpkin patch” for our kids and then our grand kids. When the pumpkins started to form (a little larger than a softball), I would take a nail and scratch my grandkids name on it. Then in the fall when the pumpkin matures, I would have them find their very own special pumpkin. They all just loved looking for it and they still do.

    Pumpkins have a long history and are very versatile. They can be boiled, baked, steamed, stewed, mashed and roasted. I’m sure you can think of some other way a pumpkin can be used. The seeds, for example, can be seasoned, baked and eaten as a snack. The Native Americans used the seeds for food and medicine. 
    In some countries pumpkin is cooked with butter, sugar and spices or steamed with custard inside and eaten as a dessert.
HISTORY OF THE PUMPKIN
    It is believed that pumpkins originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 5500 BC. The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word for large melon which is “pepon” and was changed by the French into “pompon” then the English changed it to “pumpion.” Well, we all know that names become “Americanized” and it became PUMPKIN.
     The Native Americans used pumpkins as a staple in their diets for centuries before the Pilgrims landed.  They didn’t waste anything that Mother Earth gave them as they would dry strips of the pumpkin and weave them into mats. They would also roast strips of pumpkin on the open fire and eat them. When the white settlers came, they saw what the Indians were growing and using and it became a staple in their diets.
 
DID YOU KNOW . . .
    • A pumpkin is really a squash?
    • Pumpkins contain potassium and vitamin A?
    • Pumpkin flowers are edible?
    • Pumpkins are 90 percent water?
    • The U.S. produces over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins each year and most coming from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania?
    • The largest pumpkin pie ever made was more than five feet in diameter and weighed more than 350 pounds?  That pie used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and it took six hours to bake.
    • The official name for a carved pumpkin is called “Jack-o-lantern,” but the first Jack-o-Lanterns were from Ireland and were made out of hallowed-out turnips. A piece of coal ember was inserted into the hallowed-out part and the  “lantern,” as the story goes, was meant to guide the way of poor old Jack who wasn’t welcome in Heaven and was barred from entering Hell for tricking the devil. The story continues that the devil gave this crude lamp to Jack so that he could walk the earth forever in limbo.
    • The present record for the largest pumpkin grown weighs over 1,600 pounds.
    • Canned pumpkin is sometimes recommended by veterinarians as a dietary supplement for dogs and cats with digestive problems. The high fiber content helps to aid proper digestion.
    • Canned pumpkin is often added to pancakes and waffles or made into a “pumpkin fluff” and served with apples, pears, pound cake, gingersnaps or graham crackers.
  Mmmmmm this makes me hungry!
    Well, I guess it’s time to go and have a piece of pumpkin pie, topped with whipped cream and a cup of coffee. Oh, one more thing. . . What is black, white, orange and waddles?  Well, you ready for this? It’s a penguin carrying a Jack-o-lantern.   Hmmmm.   Oh, well, I just wanted to share with you some good old fashioned pumpkin time with you soooo ... let me wish you all a HAPPY GREAT PUMPKIN!
 
POP QUIZ: More Indiana history:   Two famous astronauts were born in Indiana — Can you name them?
 
ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S POP QUIZ:  The question was ... Zerna Sharp, born in 1889 was the “mother” of what popular book series that helped children learn to read?”     ANSWER: The book “Dick and Jane.” Sharp conceived the idea of the book series because she thought children would enjoy reading if they could identify with the characters —  and she was correct!
 

 Well, that’s it for now ... so until next time ... this is my view from the Pilot house.

Mike Boys is a lifelong Marshall County resident, former newspaper owner and former public officeholder. The dictionary defines a Pilot House as “an enclosed area on the bridge of a ship, from which the vessel is guided.”  His views, opinions and news appear Thursday on the Pilot News Opinion page.