Pumpkin growers in a few states have reported some challenges: Ohio faced a wet spring which made planting a challenge while Pennsylvania growers report extended periods of hot weather during the summer, which reduced the pollination of pumpkin flowers.This chart is based on data appearing in the ERS Pumpkins: Background & Statistics topic page updated in September 2019. .
The States That Grow The Most Pumpkins & Fun Facts – Zippia
Americans spend big every year on fall festivities, from costumes to candy to other spooky trappings.With those whopping numbers, we set out to find the states who grow the most pumpkins and other fun, festive facts.Jack-o’-lanterns were made out of turnips or potatoes, until Irish immigrants arrived in America and discovered pumpkins were better for carving.The heaviest pumpkin weighed 1,810 lb 8 oz and was grown in Minnesota.The largest pumpkin pie ever made was 20 feet in diameter and weighed 3,699 pounds.Pumpkin-flavored yearly sales total over $414 million- from coffee, beers, baked goods, Oreos and more.Pennsylvania and California.To find the number of acres and farms used for pumpkin production, we turned to the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture.From there, we looked to sources such as Nielsen Retail Measurement Services, Finder, and others for the fun facts throughout the article.Just ask Illinois, or the other states that grow the whopping 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin we demand.
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Map: Where America's pumpkins come from
Across the state, Illinois farmers planted more than 20 square miles of pumpkins, according to the 2017 agricultural census, the most recent one available.Scavuzzo said overall labor shortages have caused supply-chain issues on shipping containers and cans, as well as manufacturing delays, and that could drive prices higher.Morton, Illinois, a village in Tazewell County about 150 miles southwest of Chicago, takes special pride in pumpkin production.Leigh Ann Brown, executive director of the Morton Chamber of Commerce, said the village is home to a Libby’s plant, a food brand owned by Nestlé that sells canned fruits and vegetables, among other products.And growers have followed the trend, diversifying their crops and producing decorative gourds alongside ones destined for the oven.Outside of Illinois, farmers are importing varieties from all over the world much in the same way that vineyards specialize in certain types of wine because of their region and climate.Just north of Seattle, the county planted more than half a square mile of mini pumpkins, according to FSA data.Eddie Gordon, co-owner of a farm there, said that fall decor has been popular for a long time, but that with platforms like Instagram the intensity has grown. .
Pennsylvania produces second most pumpkins annually of any state
Pennsylvania produces second most pumpkins annually of any state, study finds.Pennsylvania produces the second largest number of pumpkins of any state and contains the largest number of individual pumpkin farms, a study by career expert firm Zippia found.Zippia determined the number of farms used for pumpkin production in each state by looking at data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture.In 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture reported that Pennsylvania farmers grew more than $13 million worth of pumpkins, according to PennLive. .
Illinois: The Great Pumpkin State
The state’s farms harvested a record 16,200 acres of pumpkins in 2012, according to the Illinois Agricultural Statistics Service (IASS).Decades of experience and dedicated research help Illinois maintain its edge in pumpkin production.Two pumpkin processing facilities exist in Illinois today – Nestle Libby’s in Morton and Seneca Foods in Princeville, both located near Peoria.People enjoy pumpkins, farms and the autumn agritourism destinations surrounding them.In fact, farms throughout the state grew more than 278,000 tons last year, according to IASS.Some Illinois farms sell decorative pumpkins wholesale, including to major retailers such as Walmart, Babadoost says.Pumpkins grown for consumption pack a nutritional punch of antioxidants, fiber and vitamin A.As a result, home cooks use pumpkin to flavor soups, pasta dishes, cookies, breads, pancakes and more.Nestle Libby’s and Seneca Foods each contract with farmers within their region to grow processing pumpkins.Farmers plant seeds in April and May for a harvest that starts in late July and lasts through November, Babadoost says.Farmers plant ornamental pumpkins in May and June for harvest closer to the beginning of fall. .
6 States Account for About Half of All U.S. Pumpkin Production
Despite this decline, Illinois remained the leading producer of pumpkins by acreage and output, with almost 80% of acres typically devoted to production for pie filling or other processing uses. .
Geography of Pumpkins in the United States
As a fitting symbol of the Fall season, October 26th is National Pumpkin Day each year.The term “pumpkin” comes from the Greek word “pepon,” which means “big melon.”.Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) are one of the oldest domesticated plants, having been grown as early as 7,500 to 5,000 BC.Researchers carbon-dated pumpkins seeds found in the Guilá Naquitz cave in Oaxaca back to about 8,000 to 10,000 years ago.In addition to consuming pumpkins, the gourds are also popular as ornamental items and for carving as jack o’lanterns.A highly nutritious fruit, pumpkins historically have been an important foods source for some Native American groups.Native Americans would plant the pumpkin alongside river banks alongside maize and beans, using a planting technique known as the “Three Sisters Method,” which allowed the three crops to coexist.The practice of carving pumpkins into what are known as jack o’lanterns was brought to the United States by Irish immigrants.When Irish immigrants arrived in the United States, they switch to pumpkins which were easier to carve.Other top states for pumpkin harvests include Pennsylvania and Indiana.Source: Vegetables 2020 Summary (February 2021), USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.Table footnotes: (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.In Illinois, about 80% of pumpkin acres are planted for pie filling or other processing purposes, compared to only 3% in Michigan and even less in California and Virginia.The largest recorded pumpkin in North America was grown in New Hampshire and weighed 2,528 pounds. .
In 2018, which US state produced the most pumpkins in the United
In 2018, in spite of reduced acreage, Illinois maintained its leading position, harvesting twice as many pumpkin acres as any of the other top States. .
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a cultivar of winter squash that is round with smooth, slightly ribbed skin, and is most often deep yellow to orange in coloration.Native to North America (northeastern Mexico and the southern United States),[1] pumpkins are one of the oldest domesticated plants, having been used as early as 7,000 to 5,500 BC.[3][4] Under this theory, the term transitioned through the Latin word peponem and the Middle French word pompon to the Early Modern English pompion, which was changed to pumpkin by 17th-century English colonists, shortly after encountering pumpkins upon their arrival in what is now the northeastern United States.[1] In North America and the United Kingdom, pumpkin traditionally refers to only certain round orange varieties of winter squash, predominantly derived from Cucurbita pepo, while in New Zealand and Australian English, the term pumpkin generally refers to all winter squash.The color of pumpkins derives from orange carotenoid pigments, including beta-cryptoxanthin, alpha and beta carotene, all of which are provitamin A compounds converted to vitamin A in the body.Characteristics commonly used to define "pumpkin" include smooth and slightly ribbed skin,[14] and deep yellow to orange color.Giant pumpkins are large squash with a pumpkin-like appearance that grow to exceptional size, with the largest exceeding a tonne in mass.[19][20] Most are varieties of Cucurbita maxima, and were developed through the efforts of botanical societies and enthusiast farmers.In 2020, world production of pumpkins (including squash and gourds) was 28 million tonnes, with China accounting for 27% of the total.As one of the most popular crops in the United States, in 2017 over 680 million kilograms (1.5 billion pounds) of pumpkins were produced.[24] Nestlé, operating under the brand name Libby's, produces 85% of the processed pumpkin in the United States, at their plant in Morton, Illinois.Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including the fleshy shell, the seeds, the leaves, and the flowers.In its native North America, pumpkins are an important part of the traditional autumn harvest, eaten mashed[34] and making its way into soups and purées.Often, it is made into pumpkin pie, various kinds of which are a traditional staple of the Canadian and American Thanksgiving holidays.In Canada, Mexico, the United States, Europe and China, the seeds are often roasted and eaten as a snack.In the Indian subcontinent, pumpkin is cooked with butter, sugar, and spices in a dish called kadu ka halwa.In Guangxi province, China, the leaves of the pumpkin plant are consumed as a cooked vegetable or in soups.In the southwestern United States and Mexico, pumpkin and squash flowers are a popular and widely available food item.Pumpkin leaves are also eaten in Zambia, where they are called chibwabwa and are boiled and cooked with groundnut paste as a side dish.They are about 1.5 cm (0.5 in) long, flat, asymmetrically oval, light green in color and usually covered by a white husk, although some pumpkin varieties produce seeds without them.Pumpkin seeds are a popular snack that can be found hulled or semi-hulled at many grocery stores.Per ounce serving, pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein, magnesium, copper and zinc.[42][qualify evidence] In Germany and southeastern Europe, seeds of C. pepo were also used as folk remedies to treat irritable bladder and benign prostatic hyperplasia.[43][44][qualify evidence] In China, C. moschata seeds were also used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of the parasitic disease schistosomiasis[45] and for the expulsion of tape worms.Pumpkin seed meal (C.
moschata) represents a rich source of nutrients for poultry feeding with significant improvements in eggs for human consumption.Traditionally Britain and Ireland would carve lanterns from vegetables, particularly the turnip, mangelwurzel, or swede,[48].They continue to be popular choices today as carved lanterns in Scotland and Northern Ireland, although the British purchased a million pumpkins for Halloween in 2004.The practice of carving pumpkins for Halloween originated from an Irish myth about a man named "Stingy Jack".In the United States, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general, long before it became an emblem of Halloween.[53] In 1900, an article on Thanksgiving entertaining recommended a lit jack-o'-lantern as part of the festivities that encourage kids and families to join together to make their own jack-o'-lanterns.[54] This has led to a notable trend in pumpkin and spice flavored food products in North America.The custom of carving jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins derives from folklore about a lost soul wandering the earth.In some adaptations of Washington Irving's ghost story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the headless horseman is said to use a pumpkin as a substitute head.In most folklore the carved pumpkin is meant to scare away evil spirits on All Hallows' Eve (that is, Halloween), when the dead were purported to walk the earth. .
