Squashes have been cultivated in Africa and the Americas since 7000 BC and have many, many uses.  They are valued as food, medicines, containers, musical instruments and even air fresheners.

Probably the best known, and many would say the tastiest, use is Pumpkin Pie.  It used to be baked inside a pumpkin, but now its a regular but delicious pie.

For the early European settlers in North America squashes were a life saving food source, introduced to them by the native Americans.  A poem from the 1600s neatly describes the importance of the pumpkin to the early settlers:

“For pottage and puddings and custards and pies
Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies,
We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon,
If it were not for pumpkins we should be undoon.”

-Pilgrim verse, circa 1633

For day 2 of my Pumpkin Week.

Linked to Weekly Photo Challenge: Hue of me.