AUTUMN IS COMING: PUMPKINS!

One of our design team’s favorite times of the year is coming ... Autumn! 

Harvest season is a truly magical time. Nature’s amazing colors stimulate fashion changes and excitement abounds as we anticipate the beauty of multicolored leaves and the thrilling arrival of Halloween.

In designing our Autumn Harvest  and Halloween accessories, our research has gifted us with some surprising information about the elements that make up this fabulous season.

This week we share some fun facts and helpful tips about those mysterious, magical orbs…

“PUMPKINS!”

Indigenous to the western hemisphere and first discovered in Central America, pumpkins are now grown on six continents. French explorer, Jacques Cartier is responsible for the name “pumpkin”.

"Prize" by artist Greg Newbold

While he called them “gros melons,” the English translated this as “pompions” which later evolved to ‘pumpkins’.

Pumpkins are members of the gourd family, which make them a squash. A squash belongs to the fruit family, so a pumpkin is both a squash and a fruit. 

Low in fat and sodium, they are excellent source of Vitamins A, B, potassium, protein and fiber.

As of 2010, the biggest pumpkin grown weighed in at 1810 pounds, 8 ounces. 

In 2005 the largest pumpkin pie ever  baked weighed in at 2020 pounds.

Turnip Jack 'o lantern!

A common sight on Halloween, Jack o’ lanterns originated in Ireland for the holiday, Samhain and were initially carved out of turnips, beets and potatoes.

Samhain is the predecessor to the American holiday, Halloween and marks the passage from summer harvest to the dark of winter. 

During Samhain, huge bonfires were lit in the fields and it was believed that fairies lurked in the shadows.

To prevent the fairies from entering their homes, as fairies tend to be mischievous beings, one carved a face in a turnip.

A candle was put inside inside and lit. Then the Jack 'o lantern was placed in the area to be protected.

It wasn’t until the Irish arrived in America and discovered the pumpkin that a new Halloween tradition of "pumpkin carving" began.

Sculptor Ray Villafone is famous for his amazing pumpkin carvings! Click & see.

As pumpkin carving grew in popularity, American farmers started creating new breeds of the squash specifically for carving. Today there are now over fifty varieties of pumpkin.

In the 1960’s, John Howden developed the Howden pumpkin, which today is still considered the best pumpkin for carving.

Our Seaview Moon Petite Pumpkin!

Check out this link to learn how to choose a pumpkin and keep it fresh throughout the harvest season.

In design room one of the things we love about the pumpkin is it’s amazing color. Who doesn’t feel better wearing a bright bit of pumpkin orange come harvest season? Dusky, intense and cheery in equal measure the color improves the mood and is easy on the eyes.

But pumpkins come in a variety of colors: red, yellow, blue, tan, white, green, and yes pink! Some green pumpkins can be so dark, they are close to black. And the shades, shapes and textures are many.

Click here for more beautiful, Sparkly Pumpkin decor!

Before you complete your Harvest décor, check out our Colored Pumpkins page to see some of the more

compelling and colorful  pumpkin varieties and this coming Autumn…

“SPARKLE THE WORLD!”

CONGRATULATIONS 

  BONNIE SILVERCATE

 WINNER of our SEPTEMBER 2014 Drawing!

BONNIE, Please email us @236helenjane@gmail.com, 

so that we can get your beautiful THANKSGIVING DAY CHARM BRACELET to you.

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