Pumpkin facts

From the Spanish word "calabaza" and the Chumash word "calahoosa" comes the name of the city, Calabasas, which is widely believed to mean pumpkin or squash.

•Pumpkins originated in Central America and were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

•Pumpkins are actually a fruit.

•Pumpkins range in size from less than a pound to more than 1,000 pounds. The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,689 pounds.

•The largest pumpkin pie ever made was more than five feet in diameter and weighed more than 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.

•Pumpkins contain high amounts of potassium and vitamin A.

•Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

•Pumpkin flowers are edible.

•Pumpkins are also used as feed for animals.

•Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.

Information courtesy calabasaspumpkinfestival.com.