Episode 92: The Wild History of Pumpkins (They Were Almost Extinct)

Pumpkins should be extinct. Wild squash was so bitter that only mastodons could eat it, and when the mastodons died out, the only animal left to save it was us.This week on Garden Girls, we dig into the surprisingly wild history of pumpkins. Botanically, there's no such thing as a pumpkin: it's five squash species sharing one nickname, and it's technically a berry. We go back 10,000 years to a cave in Oaxaca, follow the squash bees north, and land in colonial New England, where people had "pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon" and one Connecticut town moved Thanksgiving over a molasses shortage.Then the fun stuff: why the first jack-o'-lanterns were terrifying carved turnips, what's actually in your can of pumpkin, how nutmeg once beat Manhattan, why the pumpkin spice latte had no pumpkin in it for twelve years, and the giant pumpkin growers chasing a 2,819-pound world record. 🎧 New podcast episodes every week.Our website:gardengirlspod.comOur main accounts:@meggrowsplants @thecottagepeach Listen on Spotify:podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-garden-gir… us on Apple Podcasts:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/garden-girls-pod… us on Instagram:instagram.com/gardengirlspod/Follow us on TikTok:tiktok.com/@gardengirlspod***Links***Dagny's Tea Garden E-Book:shop.thecottagepeach.com/products/growing-your… Planting Calendar:meg-grows-plants.myshopify.com/collections/all… our podcast and get exclusive bonus content:patreon.com/c/GardenGirlsPodcastEpic Gardening:shop.epicgardening.com/GARDENGIRLSCode for 5% off!GARDENGIRLS*These codes are affiliate links that we receive commissions from and help to support the podcast!*