Pumpkin Cultivation Across the United States
All fifty U.S. states now raise pumpkins, however Illinois consistently sticks out for the total acreage and weight of its harvest. Landsat 8s Operational Land Imager (OLI) caught this natural-color image of farmland around Peoria, Illinois– a major center of pumpkin growing and processing– on October 22, 2022. The soils and climate in this part of main Illinois are perfect for growing pumpkins, and much of the fields surrounding Peoria are used for growing a certain type of canning pumpkin. While the fields were green and rich in September, this image was taken after the harvest, leaving most fields brown.
Illinois: The Leading Pumpkin Producer
With 652 million pounds (296 million kgs) harvested in 2021, Illinois was the top pumpkin-producing state that year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. That amounted to more than a quarter of overall U.S. pumpkin production, and more than the next top-five states integrated. Unlike other pumpkin-producing states that grow lots of sculpting and ornamental pumpkins, consisting of Indiana and California, the majority of the pumpkins grown in Illinois are used for canning and cooking.
Pumpkin Processing in Morton and Princeville
These towns host two of the largest pumpkin processing facilities in the state. Their presence assists discuss why Illinois produces more than 90 percent of the processed pumpkins– a common component in Thanksgiving pumpkin pies– sold in the United States.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, utilizing Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Natural-color satellite image of farmland around Peoria, Illinois, captured by the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 on October 22, 2022.
Much of the canned pumpkin that ends up in Thanksgiving pies and soups originated from Central Illinois.
Pumpkins, a kind of winter squash belonging to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, are among the oldest domesticated plants. Archaeological evidence suggests that several different types of pumpkins were individually domesticated in between 4,000 and 10,000 years earlier in different parts of North, Central, and South America.
Transformation From Wild Gourds to Modern Pumpkins
Modern-day pumpkins are a fair bit various than their wild leaders, which were small, bitter, gourd-like, and primarily eaten by mammoths and mastodons. As human beings started to sample and replant the best-tasting of them, contemporary pumpkins have actually happened significantly larger, sweeter, and more tasty.
Landsat 8s Operational Land Imager (OLI) recorded this natural-color image of farmland around Peoria, Illinois– a major center of pumpkin growing and processing– on October 22, 2022. The soils and climate in this part of main Illinois are ideal for growing pumpkins, and numerous of the fields surrounding Peoria are used for growing a specific type of canning pumpkin. Unlike other pumpkin-producing states that grow lots of sculpting and ornamental pumpkins, consisting of Indiana and California, many of the pumpkins grown in Illinois are utilized for canning and cooking.
Their presence assists discuss why Illinois produces more than 90 percent of the processed pumpkins– a common ingredient in Thanksgiving pumpkin pies– offered in the United States.