Pumpkin is one of the most precious gifts of nature, a healthy and unpretentious vegetable that is capable of miracles. Thanks to a firm crust, it can be stored until spring. It has a lot of varieties, so even if you regularly grow this vegetable in your garden plot, you still get a lot of interesting things from our article. Today we want to talk about such a variety as squash. This pumpkin is not too popular in Russia, although in vain.
Native American
It was from there that squash (pumpkin) came to us. Today, many of us are only getting acquainted with this amazing vegetable, while the Indians have eaten it since time immemorial. True, they harvested it in a wild-growing form and preferred seeds rather than pulp. Wild tribes knew very well what was good and what wasn’t. Squash is a pumpkin, which is a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals, fiber, and also has excellent taste.
Familiar name
Do not rush to say that you have never heard of such a vegetable. You probably saw it on sale, just the names on the price tags are often somewhat different. Squash (pumpkin) is the same as pasta pumpkin. A unique fruit that is something between a pumpkin and a zucchini, but the taste differs from both. It is baked and used to make salads, boiled and fried in oil.
Appearance and taste
Squash is a special vegetable, which at first glance is not very similar to a pumpkin. It has an elongated ovoid shape and generally does not look like its counterparts. Its thin skin is most often white, but new varieties appear each year, and today you can see colorful fruits.
But the most interesting thing for a gourmet is, of course, taste. Squash is a vegetable with a mystery. In its raw form, the flesh looks holistic, and when heated, it stratifies into crisp fibers. The pulp is almost snow-white, completely unlike the one that is characteristic of our usual vegetable. And besides, you will be surprised to try squash. This is really the most delicious pumpkin!
The pulp is very tender, it crunches pleasantly and resembles the kernels of nuts. The usual pumpkin-melon taste and aroma are completely absent. This is precisely the highlight of these fruits. The pulp smells of vanilla and nuts, from it you can make a delicious dessert.
What is pumpkin useful for the body
First of all, women remember her when they go on a diet. Tasty, sweet and crisp fibers contain a minimum of calories and a small amount of sugar. This is an ideal candidate for inclusion in a weight loss program. Replace traditional vermicelli with vegetable spaghetti, and mayonnaise with lemon juice, and things will quickly get off the ground.
But eating it is recommended not only to lose weight. Due to its potassium content, this pumpkin variety is good for cardiac activity, and also helps get rid of edema.
Effective Energy
Athletes are well aware of how pumpkin is good for the body. Squash can be found in almost all recipes dedicated to restoring strength. For a person who spends a lot of time in the gym, this is a big plus. No wonder every professional nutritionist and fitness trainer will definitely recommend his clients to include it in their daily diet. This pumpkin variety is rich in structured water, fiber, vitamins B and C. Sweet desserts are prepared from it, as well as amazing side dishes for a variety of dishes. To do this, the fruit is simply boiled whole (without peeling) or baked in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.
Fruit seeds
We have already mentioned that they were the favorite delicacy for the ancient Indian tribes. But even today, few will refuse the wonderful dessert that squash squash gives us. Its seeds have a rich vanilla-nutty taste. If you adhere to a strict diet and can not eat sweets, then they will be a good alternative. Tasty and healthy seeds contain vitamins and mineral salts, proteins and fats. They can be used as snacks between meals.
Mini pumpkins (squash)
In fact, this family is quite large, it includes not only the representative we are considering. Pumpkin butternut (squash, “butter nut”) will grow light pink, pear-shaped, somewhat elongated. Its flesh is orange, tender and very sweet, oily, with a nutty taste. Ideal for baking whole. As a result, you get a soft crust, and inside - ready-made mashed potatoes.
Butternat Waltheim is a later modification of the same variety. Specialists have achieved an earlier maturity. The fruits are elongated, light brown in color. The pulp is of excellent taste, with a nutty flavor. A wonderful variety, a novelty of the last season, which has already managed to win love and recognition.
Blue Hubbard is another amazing variety that has been bred relatively recently. Fruits of bluish-white color can reach 10 kg, but with regular harvesting this usually does not happen. The pulp is bright orange, tender and very sweet. This variety can be eaten raw. Excellent taste allows this vegetable to take one of the leading places in the diet. Especially in the winter-spring period, when most fresh fruits are already losing some of their beneficial properties.
Pumpkin cultivation
Squash is completely unpretentious. It can be easily grown on any site, whether it is a summer house or a garden at the house. This type of pumpkin calmly tolerates a lack of moisture and is not demanding on heat at all. Therefore, no matter what climatic conditions you may live in, you can grow a sufficient amount of yield for the whole winter during the summer season.
2-3 seeds are sown in the hole and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate. To accelerate the appearance of fruits, the hole is covered with a film. It is very useful to fertilize plants with compost, to add organic matter and potassium. Squash blooms constantly and forms a lot of ovary on shoots-vines. If you do not pinch them, then kilogram fruits can be collected almost daily. Throughout the season, they will be a pleasant addition to your daily diet. Those fruits that are planned for storage can be left on the bushes a little longer.
Instead of a conclusion
As you can see, squash squash is a representative of a whole family, which includes a number of varieties that are similar in taste. However, the leader among them is the "spaghetti pumpkin." The unique structure of its pulp every year only adds popularity. Once a person tries to visit her once, and he will not calm down until he grows a vegetable in his own garden. Tasty, delicate and incredibly healthy, “spaghetti pumpkin” will certainly become a favorite treat on your table. From it it will be possible to prepare lunches and dinners, holiday snacks and diet dishes, as well as many desserts.