Plant Anatomy 101: Pumpkins!

I thought this one would be appropriate for the season. However, I have already posted this idea on my work blog, so if you would like to check that one out, here it is. I like the Plant Anatomy series. I get a lot of pleasure in looking up all of the information about the different kinds of plants. In college I worked in a botany lab where I did research on the tomato plant family, Solinidae. This includes tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants.

My time was split between growing and taking care of the plants up in the greenhouses where I would pollinate the plants and then plant the seeds that came from those fruits. Then in the lab I would record my findings, run DNA tests on my plants, and otherwise coordinate with the other lab researchers. It was a great job and my advanced interest in plants directly springs from that.

I never had a garden growing up, but being in the greenhouse everyday was really a treat. The greenhouses were located up on the roof of one of the university's biology buildings. I was usually the only one up there. It was always so quiet and peaceful. I loved the days when it snowed. It would be snowing all around me, the flakes falling down on the roof, but I was inside a tropical wonderland. It reminded me of being in a reverse snow globe. And all of the bays were filled with such amazing plants. Some were from our own backyard and some were from foreign places. There were a lot of different plants up there. My favorite were the "living stone" plants. These are succulents that grow in Africa where they blend in with the rocks and soil by actually looking like rocks! They live in an arid region that has little water, a short growing season, and by looking like rocks they can avoid being grazed.

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

But since this is supposed to be about pumpkins. Here are some links of fun recipes to try with pumpkins:

Cocoa Pumpkin Brownies

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds in 3 Ways

Homemade Pumpkin Pie (from a real pumpkin)

Enjoy!