DATE:     10/27/97
CONTACT:  Dr. Anthony Keinath, (803) 766-3761
WRITER:   Tom Lollis, (803) 284-334

Pumpkins Are More
Than Just Decoration

     CHARLESTON -- Most South Carolinians think jack-o-lantern
when they see a pumpkin.
     There's a lot more to the pumpkin than Halloween decoration,
though. Just ask Anthony Keinath, Clemson Extension plant
pathologist at the Coastal Research and Education Center at
Charleston.
     He's learned a lot about the native American vegetable while
showing farmers how to combat the diseases that make growing
pumpkins difficult in South Carolina's heat and humidity.
     "The pumpkin was a staple food for American Indians for
thousands of years before the first Thanksgiving feast at
Plymouth Rock in 1621," Keinath said.
     Indians ate pumpkins roasted, boiled and stewed and roasted
the seeds for food, too. They also showed the Pilgrims how to dry
pumpkin meat and grind it into meal for use year-round.  
     "Indians commonly planted pumpkins with corn to help keep
the fields free of weeds and to discourage raccoons from eating
the corn," he said.
     Ninety-nine out of every 100 pumpkins sold are used for
jack-o-lanterns. Most of what is eaten is in the form of pumpkin
pie, another hand-me-down from the Indians.
     "The pumpkin eaten at the first Thanksgiving was probably
similar to the pumpkins we use today, but the first pumpkin pie
was not like the pie we are familiar with," Keinath said.  "It
was baked in the pumpkin shell with milk, spices and maple
syrup."
     The two most widely grown types of pumpkin are Cucurbita
pepo, represented by varieties like Connecticut field and Howden,
and the larger Cucurbita maxima, such as Atlantic Giant, Big Max
and Mammoth Gold.
     Generally pumpkins vary in size from 8 to 14 inches  in
diameter, although some specimens can weigh several hundred
pounds. The world record is a 1,061 pounder grown in upstate New
York in 1996.
     "The larger the pumpkin, the less tender the flesh, which
makes small pumpkins such as the Small Sugar variety better for
baking," Keinath said.
     Pumpkin is not only tasty, it is highly nutritious.
Nutritionists point out that one cup of mashed pumpkin contains
approximately 50 calories, while containing more than 2,500 units
of vitamin A, considerable quantities of B complex and C
vitamins, along with generous amounts of phosphorus, potassium,
calcium and iron.
     If you carved a jack-o-lantern for Halloween, odds are that
it came from somewhere else. Only five out of every 100 pumpkins
sold in South Carolina were grown here.
     "It's not a traditional Southern crop," Keinath said.
     When selecting a pumpkin, he recommends looking for a
specimen with smooth, even sides, a flat bottom and a firm
handle. Avoid pumpkins with bruises, scrapes and soft spots.

                              END