Pumpkins for Health and Thanksgiving

Pumpkins are a very healthy food full of nutrients. I read an interesting article in Colonial Williamsburg magazine explaining that pumpkins are part of a large family of closely related squashes that grow throughout the Western Hemisphere. The English word "pumpkin" is a modern version of "pompion" the term broadly applied to many sorts of similar-looking pumpkins and squash. The word's origins are Greek: "pepon" meaning large melon.

Pumpkins come in orange, green, yellow, read, white, blue, and tan. Colonial Americans made pumpkin stew, created pumpkin pie, and made pumpkin beer or ale.

Indigenous peoples of North and South America have grown pumpkins for 6000 years. The seeds have been found at archaeological sites in the American southwest and beyond.

The commercial jack-o-lantern hybrid pumpkins of today are grown to be decorations rather than pie filling. Heirloom pumpkin seeds are available for those who want to grow the old-fashioned kind, and farmer's markets and upscale grocery stores sometimes carry older, tasty varieties.

Enjoy during this season and beyond. Pumpkins are good for you!

Richest Blessings during this time of Thanks-giving......Dr. Miluna