Signs of Autumn
Pizza & Pasta
Common Ground
October Fun Facts
Harvest Season
100
The days can be hot during the fall, but you’ll feel the chill during these two times of day.
What are morning and night? Fall and spring are transitional seasons that feature incremental but major changes in temperature during their three-month spans.
100
This fungus tops both pizza and pasta.
What are mushrooms? Favorite Italian mushrooms include portobellos, porcini, and chanterelles.
100
Of trapezoid, circle, square, and triangle, it’s the shape that doesn’t belong.
What is circle? The circle is the only shape in the group that doesn’t have angles or straight lines. It has only one curved line.
100
This American fast-food giant opened its doors in the United Kingdom on October 1, 1974.
What is McDonald’s? It opened in the south of London, and the location is still open today.
100
You will likely only eat the red and green stalks of this vegetable in a pie mixed with strawberries.
What is rhubarb? While you can prepare the stalks in a variety of dishes, it's not a favorite vegetable. The leaves are poisonous whether raw or cooked.
200
This full moon happens during the fall, either in September or October.
What is the harvest moon? It’s the brightest of all the full moons, giving off an orange glow like a big pumpkin in the sky.
200
This green sauce can top both pizza and pasta.
What is pesto? Pesto is a versatile sauce and can also be used on vegetables, eggs, beans, and meats.
200
Of buffalo, horse, donkey, and zebra, it’s the animal that doesn’t belong.
What is buffalo? The horse, donkey, and zebra all share the same body type and are closely related. They belong to the genus Equus. People have tried for hundreds of years to domesticate zebras without the desired results, so they cannot be ridden.
200
October's birthstones.
What are opal and pink tourmaline? Originally, opal was the sole birthstone of the month, but some felt the gem was too feminine and not durable enough for daily wear, so pink tourmaline was added.
200
This legume is treated as a nut and often mistaken for one.
What is peanut? It is processed into a popular nut butter, and a 12-oz. jar of peanut butter requires around 500 peanuts!
400
This fruit grown in Washington state is in season and a sign of fall.
What are apples? Experts recommend isolating apples so their ethylene won’t
ripen other fruit prematurely. Did you know the world produces more than 7,500 varieties of
apples?
400
Italians originally used this method of cooking pasta.
What is baking? They used dried pasta to make the predecessor of today’s lasagna.
400
Of shoulder, arm, finger, and toe, it’s the body part that doesn’t belong.
What is toe? The other body parts are located above the waist; the toes are located below the waist.
400
Every year, the U.S. Supreme Court convenes its new session on this Monday in October.
What is the first Monday? The start date is set by statute. Did you know that the term sitting refers to hearing cases? Alternatively, the court is in recess when it considers cases, writes briefs, and issues decisions and orders.
400
This flower is a symbol of harvest season
What is chrysanthemum? They're harvest season's most prolific flower, blooming everywhere in bold, beautiful colors- red, yellow, gold, green, purple, pink, maroon, and white. Globally they are the second-largest harvest in the ornamental category, after roses.
600
This natural phenomenon in the sky, most visible in Arctic areas, burns brighter in the fall.
What are the northern lights? They’re brighter due to the seasonal tilt of Earth around the time of the autumnal equinox.
600
This U.S. city is famous for its deep-dish pizza.
What is Chicago? Comedian Jon Stewart calls the infamous thick Chicago pizza a “casserole.” It’s made with pizza toppings on a yeasty, bread-like crust made in cast-iron pans.
600
Of the $1, $20, $100, and $500 bills, this one doesn’t belong.
What is the $500 bill? The $500 bill is the only one not currently printed. The government stopped printing it in 1945 and stopped issuing it in 1969, but it is still legal tender—if you can get anyone to believe it’s real.
600
Born October 20, 1882, this Hungarian actor is renowned for his portrayal of Dracula on stage and screen.
Who is Bela Lugosi? When Lugosi first appeared on Broadway in 1922, he knew little English. When he passed in 1956, he was buried in his Dracula cape.
600
This purple vegetable doesn't come from a chicken.
What is eggplant? In Europe, eggplants are called aubergines. They originally came from India, and they are now a favorite fruit around the world.
800
The waning sunlight in the fall leads to a reduced production of this in plants.
What is chlorophyll? Chlorophyll is required for photosynthesis. This process feeds the plants and gives them their color during the spring and summer. The lack of sunlight causes the leaves to have brilliant fall colors.
800
Pizza first gained popularity in this country.
What is the United States? Flatbread topped with sauces and other ingredients dates to ancient Roman, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations.
800
Of green, purple, red, and orange, this is the color that doesn’t belong.
What is red? Red is a primary color. The other three colors are secondary colors, or combinations of two primary colors.
800
Octo-, the first part of the word October, gives a hint that October was originally in this numerical position on the calendar.
What is the eighth month? Octo- means “eight” in Latin and Greek. Under the ancient Roman lunar calendar, there were 12 months, but only 10 had names. The named months began in March. With the switch to the solar Julian calendar, all 12 months were named. The original 10 months retained their names but not their numerical positions when January and February were added to the calendar.
800
Cranberries are harvested by doing this.
What is flooding the fields? When the fields are flooded, the cranberries float to the top, making harvesting easier.