Good Lifestyle

In recent years, Pumpkin-Spice has changed this fruit of the Jack-O-Lanterns thing to a one-year delight. And yes, you read this right: the pumpkin is a fruit. Although we tend to think about squash as a vegetable, it is officially a fruit of the vine.

Vegetables are simply defined In roots, stems or leaves, while the fruits are the product of the plant with seeds. In a pumpkin, flesh and all seeds are super nutritious. Here is a ruin on whatpumpkin It's really and why it's a super super superfoint to add to your diet.

What is a pumpkin?

The pumpkin is a fruit of three squash varieties: Cucurbita PEPO, Cucurbita Argeyrosperma and Cucurbita Moschata. It is recognizable thanks to its rigid skin carved with grooves. The varieties of pumpkin can be yellow, orange, white or even green, red, blue or color mixtures.

In the United States, we use pumpkins on Thanksgiving to make our traditional pumpkin pies and we sculpt the skin hard into a jack-o-lantern for Halloween. In other countries, people eat pumpkin as a vegetable, just like many other squash. Generally, the cooks prefer the pie pumpkin, which is a smaller and softer variety than larger pumpkins used on Halloween.

The pumpkins grow on a vine, attached to woody stems. Because some varieties are developing enormous proportions, there are competitions and salons and farmer markets across the country to see who can develop the largest pumpkin. Last year, a New Hampshire farmer has grown uppumpkin who weighed 2,528 pounds. While it's now the biggest pumpkin to record in the United States, it's not theThe biggest pumpkin ever. This registration belongs to a Belgian resident, whose pumpkin weighed 2,624 pounds.

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When is the pumpkin in season?

The pumpkins are planted in the hot season, but take a little time to grow on the vine. Typically, they are harvested in the fall, making it an autumn vegetable.

If you choose one in a pumpkin patch or local supermarket, there are two things to look too. Most varieties are orange, so you can search for a deep pink to the orange color to make sure that the pumpkin is ripe. And make sure you choose a pumpkin with a good stem. Those without stems are not going to stay as well.

What taste?

The first pumpkin tart was only a pumpkin with the cut up and the seeds removed, filled with spices, milk and honey and in the oven by the settlers in a fire. They seemed to love the sweet concoction and a tradition was born. But what about the tasty side of the squash?

When roasted, the pumpkin has a sweet flavor. It is light and adapts to the particular recipe used. It does not taste a soft potato, but more like a squash with extra sweetness. The pumpkin is an excellent ingredient for dishes like the hot pot and even Chile, because it did not overwhelmed the other flavors of the meal. It's good for more than pie slats and pumpkin spice!

What are the benefits for pumpkin health?

Alene Baronian, MS, RDN, CSSD, recommends pumpkin to its customersEating 2 Effects, Inc. In Los Altos, California, where she specializes in sports nutrition and weight management. She says the pumpkin has a number of health benefits.

"This is an excellent source of vitamin A, which is rich in antioxidants that can help with inflammation in the body," said Baronian. "Also a good source of fiber that will benefit from digestive health."

Vitamin a Help for vision, stimulate immunity and works to regulate reproduction. It is also soluble in the fat, which means that it dissolves in fat and can be stored by the body for future use. Baronian suggests adding the grilled pumpkin into a salad with a protein and a fiber to make a balanced and complete meal.

Because the pumpkin contains a good part ofVitamin CIt is a good vegetable to eat for bone health, healthy skin and blood vessels. This also helps your body to cure properly after an injury.

The pumpkin also containsVitamin E, which stimulates the immune system to protect against the disease. These vitamins are all antioxidants, which can get rid of free radicals that pollutants can expose people to.

What is the failure of pumpkin nutrition?

The pumpkin is a low fat food. Witha cup of raw pumpkin and cubeThere is less than one gram of fat, with 1,16 grams of protein. It is also low in carbohydrates, with less than eight grams per box.

And although it seems sweet, there are only three grams of sugar by raw pumpkin portion. In addition to being a good source of vitamin A, the squash contains 24 mg of calcium, nearly 1 mg of iron and 394 mg potassium per cup.

What are the creative means to use the pumpkin?

Since the settlers have created a pumpkin tart, the fruit has been used creatively in the kitchen. It is delicious in bakery products such as spicy pumpkin cookies, frozen bars or bread; Current pumpkin soup; Or simply thrown with olive and roasted oil. The pumpkin is also an excellent addition to Chile and is delicious in pasta.

The delicious flavor of the pumpkin has become a national obsession and a huge success for Starbucks. Invented by Stanford Graduate, then Starbucks Manager of Peter Dukes products, thePumpkin Spice Latte is one of Starbucks' most famous drinks.

Chef Vince Freyne has the unique work of molding student palaces at theBenedictine military school, using his skills as a former executive head. He appreciates the pumpkin for his versatility.

"I think it's prudent to assume for the most part when we hear the word pumpkin, we are immediately preparing" sweet "in our mind," says Freyne. "I prepared the pumpkin from A to Z in Benedictine, a creamy autumn harvest bisque, pumpkin donuts with maple butter, a roasted pumpkin salad with goat cheese and The lemon honey vinaigrette, risotto with roasted pumpkin mushrooms and pesto mushroom, and of course, good pumpkin pie. Its versatility is apparently infinite. "

Freyne also uses the pumpkin for its dishes to reflect the fall season. "Its color is dynamic and tends to maintain this integrity regardless of the particular cooking method used," says the leader. "Many times, especially in the colder months, the leaders are looking for a palette of colors constituting the cornerstone of a presentation of the plate and the pumpkin can often be tasted, not only for the color, but for the taste and taste and the texture. "

Very few ingredients can be used successfully in all courses of a meal, from the dessert aperitif. But the pumpkin is one of them, whetherCanned pumpkin or fresh squash.

How do you grill pumpkin seeds?

One of the best parts of the pumpkin is sometimes thrown, just because we do not understand how to use it. The seeds are in the fictional flesh of the pumpkin and can be roasted for a delicious and nutritious snack. Here's how to grill pumpkin seeds,Courtesbury.

Cut a big hole with your hand in the top of the pumpkin around the stem. Use the rod to lift the top, releasing it from any other interior. Using a spoon or spoon with ice cream, scrape around the crust, bringing out the flesh and the seeds. To use the seeds, separate them and put them in a colander to be rinsed.

When the seeds are all clean, put them on a paper towel to dry. Boiling them in salt water is an option too; This gives them an extremely crisp exterior after they are roasted. Just do not boil them too long, or they will become sweet.

Mix the pumpkin seeds on a pastry plate with olive oil or butter and salt and pepper, or compose your own seasoning. The pumpkin seeds are as versatile as the pumpkin itself - you can choose to mix sugar and cinnamon, lime and cayenne pepper, or the Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Roast in an oven of 350 ° F until it is golden brown, usually about 15 to 20 minutes.

How did Jack-O-Lantern become a Halloween tradition?

Each halloween, squirrel pumpkins with scary faces are lit at Halloween night to scare tricks or cheats. They are essentially a form of art, with incredible details that go well beyond traditional triangle eyes and twisted mouth. Jack-o-lanterns are a celebrated portion of our culture, but the roots of this tradition have not started in America.

The Irish have a legend called "Jack Jack", "According to history.com. Jack was very cheap and one day he asked the devil to drink with him. (Good idea, no?) But rather than paying for their drinks, Jack asked the devil to turn into a coin. Oh, and he kept the devil in the form of currency with a cross. Practice.

Anyway, Jack is free the devil later, but it deceived the demon and trapped in a tree. (It's a nice bizarre story.) Because he was foiled with the devil, Jack managed to avoid hell, but he was not able to enter the sky either. Instead, Jack is supposed to always haunt the earth, wearing a lantern made from a shuttle. The nickname "Jack of the Lantern" became "Jack O'Langern" and the tradition started.

These days, however, pumpkins can also send messages to parents, in addition to serving Halloween decoration. In the last few years,Blue pumpkins are on porches At night of Halloween. In an inclusion effort of allergies in trick or fun treatment, an alleged blue pumpkin that parents and children know that treats without allergy, such as small toys, are available at this home.

And while the pumpkin will always have a special place in the tradition of Halloween and Thanksgiving, you can enjoy all year round. The squash is a nutritional power plant, so do not limit it to the tart and popular coffee flavors.