Signs of Autumn
Harvest Season Delights
From the Pumpkin Patch
October Fun Facts
This or That
100
The days can be hot during the fall, but you'll feel the chill during these two times of day.
A) Morning and Noon B) Morning and Night
C) Midday and Night D) Afternoon and Morning
B) Morning and Night
Fall and spring are transitional seasons that feature incremental but major changes in temperature during their three month spans.
100
You will likely only eat the red and green stalks of this vegetable in a pie mixed with strawberries.
Rhubarb!
While you can prepare the stalks in a variety of dishes, it's not a favourite vegetable. The leaves are poisonous whether raw or cooked.
100
Pumpkins grow on all continents except for:
A) Australia B) Antarctica
C) South America D) Asia
B) Antarctica
While they originated in Central America, pumpkins now grow on all continents except Antarctica.
100
This holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada:
A) Christmas B) Halloween
C) Thanksgiving D) Labour Day
C) Thanksgiving
Many Canadians enjoy the same Thanksgiving foods as Americans, including turkey dinner.
100
What famous game show was hosted by Pat Sajak?
Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune!
Pat Sajak retired from the show in June, 2024. He hosted for 41 seasons, first appearing in 1983.
200
This full moon happens during the fall, either in September or October.
A) Pumpkin Moon B) Blue Moon
C) Harvest Moon D) Wolf Moon
C) 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 legume is treated as a nut and often mistaken for one. 
Peanut!
It is processed into a popular nut butter, and a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter requires around 500 peanuts.
200
The Guinness World Record holding pumpkin pie had a diameter of 20 feet and weighed how much?
A) 3,699 pounds B)5,000 pounds
C) 2,500 pounds D) 1,000 pounds
A) 3,699 pounds!
The largest pumpkin pie ever made came from the New Bremen Pumpkinfest in Ohio. This Guinness World Record holding pie had a diameter of 20 feet in diameter and weighed 3,699 pounds. Its crust was made from 440 sheets of dough!
200
This famous singer was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, and was a founding member of The Beatles.
John Lennon!
Incredibly, one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music hated his own voice. He would often ask the The Beatles' producer, George Martin, to cover the sound of his voice: "Can't you smother it with tomato ketchup or something?"
200
Which fast food restaurant is known for its golden arches?
McDonald's or Burger King
McDonald's
McDonald's is a Chicago-based company that started as a drive in restaurant in the 1940's. The Golden Arches are said to be the most recognized symbol in the world.
300
This tree fruit is considered to be a sign of fall.
A) Apples B) Oranges
C) Pears D) Pumpkins
A) Apples
Did you know that the world produces more than 7,500 varieties of apples?!
300
This flower is a symbol of harvest season.
Chrysanthemum!
They're harvest season's most prolific flower, blooming everywhere in bold, beautiful colours. Globally, they're the second largest harvest in the ornamental category, after roses.
300
Pumpkins are orange because they contain a substance called:
A) Glycine B) Protein
C) Calcium D) Carotene
D) Carotene!
Orange pumpkins specifically get their color from a substance called carotene. Carotene is found in the microscopic level of the pumpkin's skin. If carotene sounds familiar, it may be because it also is what gives carrots, sweet potatoes and cantaloupes their coloring.
300
This beer-swilling Bavarian festival takes place every year in Munich, Germany:
A) Bratwurst Fest B) Oktoberfest
C) Volkswagen Fest D) Schnitzelfest
B) Oktoberfest
The festival usually runs for 16 days from mid-September until the Sunday of the first weekend in October. The event has been held since 1810 when Prince Ludwig of Bavaria held a festival to celebrate his marriage with Therese, the princess of Saxony-Hildburghausen.
300
What type of tree produces acorns?
Oak or Maple
Oak tree!
Oak trees are considered mature at 75 years old. The oldest oak tree is said to be over 1,000 years old.
400
Trees, shrubs, and vines that lose their leaves fall into this category:
A) Evergreen B) Deciduous
C) Coniferous D) Falling trees
B) Deciduous
Those that keep their leaves and pine needles are known as Evergreen.
400
This purple vegetable doesn't come from a chicken.
Eggplant!
In Europe, eggplants are called aubergines. They originally came from India, and they are now a favourite fruit around the world.
400
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, how much did the world's heaviest pumpkin weigh?
A) 4,000 lbs B) 3,250 lbs
C) 2,748.94 lbs D) 1,667 lbs
C) 2,748.94 lbs!
in 2023, A Minnesota horticulture teacher set a world record in California for the heaviest pumpkin after growing a giant jack-o’-lantern gourd weighing 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms).
Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, won the 50th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, with an enormous, lumpy, orange pumpkin that could produce at least 687 pies.
400
Octo- the first part of the word October, gives a hint that October was originally in this numerical position on the calendar.
A) Third B) Sixth
C) Eighth D) Twelfth
C) Eighth - the 8th 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. October is now the 10th month.
400
Which popular horror film features a doctor who combines body parts to create a living human?
Dracula, Frankenstein or The Thing
Frankenstein!
Did you know? The boots worn by Frankenstein in the movie are called hot asphalt boots. They are worn by asphalt workers because the boots resist heat.
500
The waning sunlight in the fall leads to a reduced production of this in plants:
A) Chlorophyll B) Vitamins
C) Oxygen D) Pollen
A) Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is required for photosynthesis. This process feeds the plants and gives them their colour during the spring and summer. The lack of sunlight causes the leaves to have brilliant fall colours.
500
This fruit is harvested by flooding the fields.
Cranberries!
When the fields are flooded, the cranberries float to the top, making harvesting easier.
500
About how many seeds does the average pumpkin produce?
A) 200 B) 600
C) 500 D) 1,000
C) 500
Each pumpkin contains about 500 seeds. Once they sprout, pumpkins take between 90 and 120 days to reach maturity. Pumpkin seeds are a suitable source of healthy fats, magnesium, and other nutrients that enhance heart and bone health.
500
Born on October 20, 1882, this Hungarian actor is renowned for his portrayal of Dracula on stage and screen:
A) Bela Lugosi B) Vincent Price
C) Lon Chaney Jr. D) Tom Cruise
A) Bela Lugosi
When Lugosi first appeared on Broadway in 1922, he knew little English. When he passed away in 1956, he was buried in his Dracula cape.
500
Which popular Halloween candy used to be called "Chicken Feed", and was sold as penny candy?
Smarties, Junior Mints, or Candy Corn?
Candy Corn!
Over 130 years ago, a large part of the population was rural and worked in agriculture. In order to market to this demographic, candies looked like pumpkins, turnips, and corn. Did you know that if you stack up candy corn, it looks like corn on the cob?