Hope you had a safe, happy Halloween. Here are the answers to yesterday’s pumpkin-themed quiz.

Answers

1. D. Approximately 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins were grown last year in the top U.S. pumpkin-producing states.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. B. Tim Roth, now starring in the Fox Network drama Lie to Me, played Pumpkin (Ringo) in Pulp Fiction.
7. 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.
8. D. A pumpkin is 90% water, which explains why there are only 49 calories in a 1-cup serving of cooked pumpkin.
9. 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.
10. 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!

To celebrate Halloween, I’m posting a multiple-choice quiz that tests your pumpkin acumen. I’ll post the answers tomorrow, so be sure to tune in.

1. How many pounds of pumpkins were grown last year in the top U.S. pumpkin-producing states?

A. 100 million

B. 300 million

C. 700 million

D. 1.1 billion

2. Which U.S. state produced the most pumpkins last year?

A. California

B. Illinois

C. Pennsylvania

D. New York

3. A pumpkin’s bright orange color reflects a high level of which nutrient?

A. Magnesium

B. Vitamin C

C. Carotenoids

D. Zinc

 4. A pumpkin is a:

A. Fruit

B. Vegetable

C. Neither

5. Which of the following is not a variety of pumpkin?

A. Spooktacular

B. Baby Boo

C. Sweetie Pie

D. Jack Skellington

6. “Pumpkin” was a character in which acclaimed movie?

A. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

B. Pulp Fiction

C. Rosemary’s Baby

D. The Godfather

7. Toasted pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of:

A. Protein

B. Fiber

C. Magnesium

D. All of the above

8. What percentage of a pumpkin is water?

A. 20%

B.  50%

C. 70%

D. 90%

9. We have published organic recipes for Roasted Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Bisque. What distinguishes a bisque from other soups?

A. A milk or cream base

B.  Thicker than standard soups

C. Contains meat or seafood

D. All of the above

10. Pepitas are:

A. Hulled pumpkin seeds

B. Whole pumpkin seeds