Pumpkins are indigenous to the Americas, domesticated by Indigenous peoples as early as 10,000 BCE. Northeastern tribes like the Wampanoag were expert cultivators, preparing pumpkins by roasting, boiling, or drying them into nutritious flour for storage. Colonists, often struggling to survive, learned these vital techniques through shared resources and knowledge. The myth that pumpkin pie was served at the 1621 feast is false; early colonial dishes were savory stews cooked inside the pumpkin its