DIG IN

As our Fall season begins, many of us are buying our pumpkins. We use them at Halloween, to carve, decorate and as a Thanksgiving staple. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread or anything you want…you can incorporate “pumpkin” into the “mix”. I love PUMPKINS! If you are a Starbucks Fan, then you know that Pumpkin spice lattes dominate the season, but the actual pumpkin has been on earth for a whopping 5,000 years. There’s so much more to it than Starbucks, including its honorable contributions to the pie universe. Here are some interesting tidbits about fall’s favorite food: *The word “pumpkin” showed up for the first time in the fairy tale Cinderella. *The original jack-o’-lanterns were made with turnips and potatoes by the Irish. In England, they used large beets and lit them with embers to ward off evil spirits. Irish immigrants brought their customs to America, but found that pumpkins were much easier to carve. *Over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced each year in the United States. The top pumpkin-producing states are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. *Morton, Ill., calls itself the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.” According to the University of Illinois, 95% of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. are harvested in Illinois soil. Morton is allegedly responsible for 80% of the world’s canned pumpkin production. *The world’s heaviest pumpkin weighed over 2,600 pounds. It was grown in Ludwigsburg, Germany in October 2016. The largest pumpkin pie ever was baked in New Bremen, Ohio and weighed 3,699 pounds. *Pumpkin pie originated in the colonies, just not as we know it today. Colonists would cut the tops of pumpkins off, remove the seeds, fill the pumpkins with milk, spices, and honey and then bake them in hot ashes. *What do you do with those pumpkins after the holidays are over? Here is what I have been doing for the past couple of years. I hate to just throw them away, so I put them in the back corner of my backyard. They actually stay looking nice for quite a while. But as time passes, they eventually start decomposing. Guess what happens next? The seeds germinate and you have a Pumpkin Patch. It’s a great activity for kids…they can get outside and check on the pumpkins each day! *The Texas City Garden Club was fortunate to have one of its own members give us a presentation this past month. Ruth Tobey discussed Garden Gadgets ~ Tips for Turning Helpers into Hardworking Garden Heroes! *The tools of gardening and growing and reaping the fruits of the gardeners’ labor, does not have to be expensive. In fact, in the average home kitchen are treasures to help the gardener achieve the look they want for their yard and vegetable / flower beds and no added expense. Using Jerry Baker’s book “Supermarket Super Gardens” as a guide, Ruth did a show-and-tell session for the Garden Club members. She helped us think outside the box! Who knew aluminum foil, turkey basters, chopsticks, bubble wrap, broom handles, egg cartons, newspapers, flour sifters, barbecue mitts and duct tape to name a few, are great tools and great for the garden? And, good gardening will increase the value of the property and provide exercise as a health benefit. Thank you, Ruth for a great presentation! DIG IN CONTINUED ON PG 6 MEMBERS OF CLEAR CREEK’S 1972 BOYS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CROSS COUNTRY TEAM WERE AMONG THOSE HONORED AT THE RECENT CCISD ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME EVENT. PICTURED ARE (FROM LEFT): BRUCE ROACH, JOHN MATLOCK, RALPH BETANCOURT, DAVID HALLECK AND BRUCE WINSTANLEY. THE TEAM WAS COACHED BY MAX BLANSIT, WHO ALSO COACHED THE 1971 TEAM TO A STATE