Life Is Gourd

Orange you pumped for pumpkin season? Whether you prefer to carve, decorate or eat/drink all the pumpkin-flavored things (pumpkin spice lattes for the win!), it’s prime season to appreciate all the plump produce offerings via our lineup of local farms, restaurants and coffee shops plugging a plethora of pumpkin goodness. … Ready to squash this quiz or what?! 

1 NC boasts a scad of local farms with sustainable sustenance all year long—but homegrown eats always taste better in-season. Per Got To Be NC, when are pumpkins at their prime in our state?  

a. August to September

b. September to October

c. October only

d. November only

2 Cinderella’s carriage just got a massive upgrade. Last year’s NC State Fair touted a winning pumpkin
weighing in at…  

a. 1,161 pounds

b. 1,461 pounds

c. 1,661 pounds

d. 2,001 pounds

3 Say boo! Jack-o’-lanterns trace back to Ireland—where people carved which veggies in place of pumpkins? 

a. Apples

b. Rutabagas

c. Potatoes and turnips

d. Butternut squash

4 Amping up those fitness goals this fall? Good news: Pumpkins are highly nutritious and packed with fiber, potassium and vitamin C—NTM the fruit also packs a high H20 content. What percentage of water makes up most pumpkins?  

a. ~90%

b. ~85%

c. ~80%

d. ~75%

5 Patch you later! NC farmers grow 2,500+ acres of pumpkins each year—yet most of the pumpkins purchased locally hail from which No. 1 producing state?

a. Illinois 

b. South Carolina

c. Georgia

d. Florida

6 All about sugar and everything pumpkin spice? The uberpopular autumn ingredient goes way back. … When was pumpkin spice first referenced?

a. 1575

b. 1675

c. 1775

d. 1875

7 Oh, my gourd! Each state prefers its pumpkin spice presented differently—whether it’s included in bread, lattes or tacos (?!). Per Google, which pumpkin spice food did North Carolinians search for most this year? 

a. Pumpkin spice lattes

b. Pumpkin spice Oreos

c. Pumpkin spice popcorn

d. Pumpkin spice loaves

8 If drinking a PSL is wrong we don’t wanna be right… Fun fact: Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte was the first to hit the market how many years ago?  

a. 10

b. 15

c. 20

d. 25

9 Want a slice of the action? In High Point University’s annual pie poll, pumpkin pie has taken the spot for top flavor for the past two years. (Fingers crossed for the three-peat!). Which flavor took second place in 2022?

a. Sweet potato 

b. Pecan

c. Apple

d. Chocolate

Answers: 1. B; 2: B; 3. C; 4. A; 5. A; 6. B; 7. D; 8. C; 9. B