Although the colonists in Williamsburg did not celebrate Halloween and cut jack-o-lanterns, the sweet and flavorful pumpkins and pumpkin seeds were an important staple in North America feeding both people and livestock during that time. Native Americans taught the first settlers how to prepare the pumpkins for eating. According to the The Colonial Williamsburg Official History Site, Peter Kalm wrote in 1749:
"The Indians, in order to preserve the pumpkins for a very long time, cut them in long slices which they fasten or twist together and dry either in the sun or by the fire in a room. When they are thus dried, they will keep for years, and when boiled they taste very well. The Indians prepare them thus at home and on their journeys."
In the 1970's farmers began growing large sturdy pumpkin hybrids with a thick stem that made these new pumpkins ideal for carving and not eating.
To carve a colonial pumpkin, check out these Colonial Williamsburg patterns.
