Pump and kin

heyy! it’s PUMP-KEEN  PUMPKIN time. haha

why i come out with the topic pumpkin?
BECAUSEEEE.
OKAY,This is the
story. A philippine maid, took care of me when i was 1,2 and 3. alright.
Straight to the point. My name is Pei Khim right. I have no idea why she
kept calling me “PUMPKIN” , “PUMPKIN”. [maybe she’s having difficulty to
pronounce “ Pei “ ? ]
This actually influenced my relatives and THEY
called me “PUMPKIN” too. *smack head*
They called me “PUMP KHIM” at first,
but when they call me that MORE and MORE, it eventually sounds like “PUMPKIN”
and they just called me PUMPKIN instead. oh well.
Here are bits
bout [the real] pumpkin,
Have a read:

Pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus
Cucurbita and the
family Cucurbitaceae (which
also includes gourds).^[1] It is
a common name of or can refer to cultivars of any one of the
following species: Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita
mixta, Cucurbita maxima,
and Cucurbita
moschata.

DO YOU KNOW?

• Pumpkins provide 53% of our vitamin A, 20% of our vitamin C, and 564 mg. of
  potassium.
• Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
  
• Pumpkins are used to make soups, pies and breads.
• Pumpkins range in size from less than a pound to over 1,000 pounds.
• Colonists sliced off pumpkin tips; removed seeds and filled the insides with
  milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin
  pie.
• In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust
  of pies, not the filling.
• The name pumpkin originated from "pepon" - the Greek word for "large melon."
  
• Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.

HOW TO CHOOSE?

Choose pumpkins that are deep orange in color, with strong stems. They should
be nice and solid, and feel heavy for their size. For cooking purposes, pick
smaller pumpkins, which usually have a more tender, flavorful flesh. Harvest
them with the stems still attached. You shouldn't carry them by their stems
however, as they tend to break off very easily.

WHERE SHOULD THEY STORE?

Store them in a dry place, with a temperature between 45° and 60° for
approximately one month, or they can be refrigerated for up to three months. Do
not store on a cement floor, as it will absorb the moisture from the pumpkin. Do
not let your pumpkins freeze. Place them in a plastic garbage if the temperature
gets near freezing.

FOR YOUR INFO:
The largest pumpkins are Cucurbita
maxima

USAGE:




Commonly carved into decorative lanterns called jack-o'-lanterns for
the Halloween season in
North America.



Usually cook as a soup and bake as a pie

NOW a question for you.

Is pumpkin a FRUIT or a VEGETABLE?

fruit
vegetable

View Results

Create a MySpace Poll

ANSWERS will be announced on 31st AUGUST 2009/ 1 SEPTEMBER 2009

PS: i LOVEEEE pumpkin. ;)