Pumpkin vs Winter Squash

I sometimes get asked what's the difference between a pumpkin and a winter squash?  I really don't have a answer to that question.  They both belong to the Cucurbita family and than they branch off into other families.  All pumpkins are winter squash: mature fruit of certain species in the genus Cucurbita.  Subspecies include pepo, moschata, argyrosperma, and maxima. Quite confusing so I just say a pumpkin is a squash!  I grow approximately 60 different varieties of pumpkins and squash.

All cucurbita are edible, but not all are tasty. The standard Jack-o-Lantern can be used in baking, to make soups, etc., but it's not the best pumpkin to use. I recommend people use pie pumpkins which have a higher sugar content, are drier, and have less strings. For the more adventurous I recommend trying the peanut pumpkin or Cinderella pumpkin.

I grow the standard squash such as butternut, acorn, hubbard, and spaghetti, sweet dumpling. I also grow the more bizarre squash/pumpkins: flat Boer, peanut pumpkin, cushaw, north Georgia candy roaster, and long island cheese.