Do you know Jack-o'-lantern in the Halloween(万圣节)? It is usually made of pumpkins（南瓜）.
There are 2 billion pounds of pumpkins planted in the US each year. Most of them are carved up instead of eaten. Someone often asks a few questions: Are the pumpkins sold for Jack-o'-lanterns different from pumpkins sold as food? And are Halloween pumpkins any good to eat?
Howden pumpkins are the most common decorative（装饰的） pumpkins . They are specifically for carving into Jack-o'-lanterns, with a symmetrical round shape, deep orange color.
Because they're for decoration first, carving pumpkins don't taste very good. "Uncut carving pumpkins are safe to eat; however, it's not the best type to use for cooking," Daria McKelvey tells Mental Floss.
Of course, there are also many pumpkin varieties for cooking and eating. These include Sugar Pie, Kabocha, and Cinderella pumpkins. You can shop for these pumpkins at local farms or in the store. They should be easy to tell apart from the carving pumpkins for Halloween: Unlike decorative pumpkins, cooking pumpkins are small and dense(紧实的）. This is part of the reason they taste better. McKelvey says，"Cooking pumpkins are smaller, sweeter, have a thicker rind(皮) , and have less fibers(纤维), making them easier to cook with—but not so good for carving."
Whatever you do, make sure your pumpkin isn't carved up already when you decide to cook with it. There are many ways to recycle your Jack-o'-lanterns, but turning them into pie isn't one of them.
