Hope you had a safe, happy Halloween. Here are the answers to yesterday’s pumpkin-themed quiz.
Answers
- D. Approximately 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins were grown last year in the top U.S. pumpkin-producing states.
- B. Illinois led the country by producing 496 million pounds of pumpkin. California, Pennsylvania and New York each produced at least 100 million pounds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- C. Carotenoids (lutein, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene) are antioxidants that account for the orange color of pumpkins, carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash. Converted to vitamin A in the body, carotenoids have cancer-fighting properties. See Think Orange! for more details.
- A. A pumpkin is a fruit. It’s a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes fruits and vegetables like melons, squashes, cucumbers and gourds.
- D. The Spooktacular is a standard orange pumpkin, weighing in at 2 to 5 pounds. The Baby Boo and Sweetie Pie are miniature pumpkins. Jack Skellington, however, was Johnny Depp’s character in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
- B. Tim Roth, now starring in the Fox Network drama Lie to Me, played Pumpkin (Ringo) in Pulp Fiction.
- D. Toasted pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of protein, fiber, magnesium and phosphorus. Click here for the basic recipe, and check out Sweet-Hot Pumpkin Seeds with Autumn Spices.
- D. A pumpkin is 90% water, which explains why there are only 49 calories in a 1-cup serving of cooked pumpkin.
- B. While many bisques do contain dairy products, meat or seafood, the term “bisque” denotes a thick soup. It may derive its creaminess from pureed vegetables in lieu of dairy.
- A. Pepitas are the green pumpkin seeds encased in a white hull (husk). When you extract seeds from a fresh pumpkin, you’ll toast the white unhulled seeds. You may also buy the hulled green seeds, which are popular in Mexican cuisine. Try Pepita-Crusted Halibut with Blood Orange-Jicama Chutney.
Let us know how you scored!
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Tags: halloween, Organic Food, pumpkin, quiz
