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13 Kirk
Street, St. Catharines
West St.
Catharines location, priced at
$106,900 3 bedrooms 1 1/2 storey,
maintenance free exterior, detached
garage, ideal rental situation or just
move in!! MLS#2073514 |
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The Great Pumpkin
Everything
You Ever Wanted To Know About Pumpkins But Were
Afraid To Ask...
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Pumpkins are fruits. A pumpkin is a type of squash
and is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae),
which also includes squash, cucumbers, gherkins, and
melons.
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The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2003 and
weighed 418 pounds.
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Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five
thousand years. They are indigenous to the western
hemisphere.
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In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier
explored the St. Lawrence region of North America,
he reported finding "gros melons." The name was
translated into English as "pompions," which has
since evolved into the modern "pumpkin."
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Pumpkins are low in calories, fat, and sodium and
high in fiber. They are good sources of Vitamin A,
Vitamin B, potassium, protein, and iron.
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The largest pumpkin ever grown was 1,337 pounds.
It was grown by Charles Houghton of New Boston, New
Hampshire.
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Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last
week of May and the middle of June. They take
between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in
October when they are bright orange in color. Their
seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next
year.
History Of The Jack-O'Lantern
Pumpkin carving is a popular part of modern
America's Halloween celebration. Come October,
pumpkins can be found everywhere in the country from
doorsteps to dinner tables. Despite the widespread
carving that goes on in this country every autumn,
few Americans really know why or when the jack
o'lantern tradition began. Or, for that matter,
whether the pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable. Read
on to find out!
People have been making jack o'lanterns at Halloween
for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish
myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According
to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have
a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack
didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced
the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack
could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did
so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into
his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented
the Devil from changing back into his original form.
Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition
that he would not bother Jack for one year and that,
should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The
next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into
climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While
he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the
cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could
not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to
bother him for ten more years.
Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would
not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The
Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and
keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not
allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark
night with only a burning coal to light his way.
Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has
been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish
began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of
the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."
In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their
own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary
faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into
windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack
and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large
beets are used. Immigrants from these countries
brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when
they came to the United States. They soon found that
pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect
jack o'lanterns.
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