You do not have to be into Halloween necessarily to love pumpkins. So, to find out that there are places in Los Angeles where pumpkins are featured and available to buy is just heaven.
In this article, we shall explore what there is to know about pumpkins while looking forward to exploring the website https://mrbonespumpkinpatch.com/.
Pumpkins and Halloween
Seeing a pumpkin carved with a ghoulish face and illuminated by a candle or two will be an indicator that it is the Halloween season. The practice originated in Ireland where large turnips and potatoes would be served. If you have heard of “jack-o’ lantern”, this comes from an Irish folktale that is about a man of the name Stingy Jack.
There are many uses for pumpkins at Halloween that can also be for other times too. They can be made into pumpkin purée, for instance. Also, they make good planters when their insides have been carved out, whether or not faces are carved into their outsides.
Halloween dates to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This is when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. It was over time that Halloween would turn into a day or night of activities. These will, of course, now include pumpkin carving to produce jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treating, wearing associated costumes, eating treats, and generally having festival gatherings. It is a time to enjoy and the pumpkin makes it even more special. It is not just a symbol but something enjoyed as food too. Then that same pumpkin has uses in another festival, which we shall talk about next.
Thanksgiving
In America, pumpkins are associated with the holiday of Thanksgiving, just like they are with Halloween. Los Angeles is no exception when it comes to celebrating. The timing of pumpkins fits in perfectly with both these festivals when they are harvested in October. Thanksgiving in 2021 is on November 25th, on a Thursday. It might be a weekday but this is no excuse not to celebrate when it is a national holiday. America gained a national holiday to celebrate Thanksgiving when Abraham Lincoln would make it a national holiday on October 3, 1863.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, so there seems no reason not to continue celebrating it. Some things are just a tradition. Back then it was a three-day harvest festival. Interestingly, turkey was not part of the menu at the first Thanksgiving.
The festival is important because the national holiday for Thanksgiving celebrates the harvest and blessing from the past year. Most Americans believe that the celebration is based on a 1621 harvest feast that was shared by the English colonists of Plymouth, known as Pilgrims, and also the Wampanoag people.
Nutritional Value of Pumpkins
Pumpkins are both nutritious and versatile as food. This is because the orange fruit consists of flowers, seeds, and fleshy parts that are edible and also rich in vitamins.
A classic pumpkin seed dish can be made or the pumpkin can be fed to wildlife for them to benefit. Alternatively, a pumpkin cocktail can be mixed and drunk.
So, what are the vitamins in pumpkins? Well, they contain vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, and iron. All these vitamins are known to strengthen our immune system. The more pumpkin that we have inside us the more help we can give to immune cells to allow them to work better and more effectively in warding off germs. There are, after all, plenty of those to need to escape. These vitamins will also help to heal wounds quickly, and who would not want that? We can then get on with the business of enjoying life.
In summary, seek out these places, or pumpkin patches, where pumpkins feature and are sold. Then you can celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving the traditional way. By eating a pumpkin, we can benefit from the natural vitamins it contains. Having carved it out, we can use it to display and illuminate. There are many things we can do with that pumpkin, making it the most versatile of foods. There is plenty to love about pumpkins.
Leave a Reply