đ 5 Things You Might Not Know About Pumpkins
Fall has arrived, and that means pumpkins are popping up everywhereâfrom front porches and farmersâ fields to tents at the Olde Beaufort Farmersâ Market.
But how much do you really know about these colorful fall favorites?
You might be surprised to learn that pumpkins are a lot more interesting than their jack-oâ-lantern reputation suggests. Here are five fun facts to impress your friends the next time youâre picking out a pumpkin- and don't forget, our vendors at the OBFM typically offer pumpkins during the season!
1. Pumpkins are actually fruit!
Yes, really! While we usually think of pumpkins as vegetables, theyâre botanically fruit because they develop from the flower of the plant and contain seeds. Pumpkins are part of the squash family, along with zucchini, cucumbers and melons. So technically, your pumpkin pie is a fruit-based dessert!
2. You can eat the flowers!
Pumpkin plants produce large, bright yellow edible blossoms, and theyâre considered a delicacy in many places.
Pumpkin flowers can be stuffed, battered and fried, sautĂŠed, added to pasta or incorporated into salads.
And hereâs another fun fact: pumpkin plants produce male and female flowers, and only the female flowers develop into pumpkins. The bees help transfer pollen between them, making their work pretty important to your pumpkin patch!
5. Pumpkins need bees!
Those big pumpkin blossoms arenât just prettyâtheyâre an important stop for pollinators.
Pumpkins rely on bees and other pollinators to move pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers. Without successful pollination, those tiny pumpkins may never develop into the big, beautiful fruits we know and love.
So when you see pumpkins growing at a local farm, remember to thank the bees, too!
4. Pumpkins can get HUGE!
The heaviest pumpkin in the world weighed 2,819 pounds and 4 ounces and was grown by twin brothers Ian and Stuart Paton from the UK (2025). Think of the size of the seeds!
5. Pumpkins arenât always orange
Orange may be the classic pumpkin color, but pumpkins come in a surprising variety of shades. You can find white, green, yellow, red, blue and even very dark-colored varieties.
They also come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some are small enough to hold in your hand, while giant pumpkins can grow to enormous proportions. Next time youâre at the market, take a lookâyou might find a pumpkin that looks nothing like the traditional jack-oâ-lantern!
đ A Little More Pumpkin Appreciation
The next time you see a pumpkin at the Olde Beaufort Farmersâ Market, take a closer look.
That familiar fall favorite is a fruit, comes in a rainbow of colors, has edible flowers and seeds, and depends on pollinators to make it all happen. Pretty impressive for something we usually just carve a face into!
Stop by the market this fall and see what our local farmers and vendors have growing, baking and creating. You never know what you might discover under the live oaks. Just look at these beauties brought to the Market by Paradise Produce!
