Squash (pumpkin) - the most delicious pumpkin: growing. How useful pumpkin for the body

Pumpkin is one of the most precious gifts of nature, the most useful and unpretentious vegetable that is capable of miracles. Thanks to a hard crust, it can be stored until the very spring. He has a lot of species, so even if you regularly grow this vegetable on your garden plot, you will still learn a lot from our article. Today we want to talk about a variety such as squash. This pumpkin in Russia is not too popular yet, although completely in vain.

A native of North America

It was from there that squash came to us. Today, many of us are just acquainted with this amazing vegetable, while the Indians have been using it since time immemorial. True, they collected it in a wild form and preferred seeds, and not flesh. Wild tribes were very well versed in what is useful and what is not. Squash is a pumpkin, which is a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals, fiber, and also has excellent taste qualities.

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) - this is the same as the macaroni pumpkin. A unique fruit, which is something average between pumpkin and zucchini, but the taste differs from both, and from the other. It is baked and used for making 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 resemble its counterparts at all. His thin skin is most often white, but every year new varieties appear, and today you can find variegated fruits.

But the most interesting thing for a gourmet is, of course, taste. Squash is a vegetable with a puzzle. In its raw form, the flesh looks hollow, and when heated, it breaks up into crispy fibers. The pulp is almost snow-white, completely unlike the one that is typical for the usual vegetable. And besides, you will be surprised, after trying the squash. This is really the most delicious pumpkin!

The flesh is very delicate, it pleasantly crunches and resembles kernels of nuts. The usual pumpkin-melon taste and aroma are completely absent. This is what is the highlight of these fruits. The flesh smells of vanilla and nuts, from it you can prepare a delicious dessert.

How useful pumpkin for the body

First of all, women remember her when they take a diet. Delicious, sweet and crunchy fibers contain a minimum of calories and a small amount of sugar. This is the ideal candidate for inclusion in the weight loss program. Replace the traditional vermicelli with vegetable spaghetti, and mayonnaise with lemon juice, and the matter will quickly move from the dead center.

But to eat it is recommended not only losing weight. Thanks to the content of potassium, this kind of pumpkin is useful for cardiac activity, and besides, it helps to get rid of edema.

Effective power engineer

Athletes know well the usefulness of a pumpkin for the body. Squash can be found in almost all recipes devoted to the restoration of forces. For a person who spends a lot of time in the gym, this is a big plus. It's not for nothing that every professional nutritionist and fitness trainer will recommend to his clients to include it in their daily diet. This variety of pumpkin is rich in structured water, fiber, vitamins B and C. It prepares sweet desserts, as well as stunning 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.

Seeds of fruits

We have already mentioned that they were the favorite delicacy for the ancient Indian tribes. But even today, very few will give up the wonderful dessert that gives us pumpkin squash. Its seeds have a rich vanilla-nut flavor. If you adhere to a strict diet and can not eat sweets, then they will become a good alternative. Delicious 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 batternat (squash, "oil nuts") will grow light pink, pear-shaped, somewhat elongated. The flesh is orange, tender and very sweet, oily, with a nutty taste. Ideal for baking whole. As a result, get a soft crust, and inside - the finished mashed potatoes.

Buttert Waltheim is a later modification of the same variety. Specialists have achieved an earlier maturation period. Fruits are elongated, light brown in color. Pulp of excellent taste, with a nutty taste. A great brand, a novelty of last season, which has already won love and recognition.

Blue Hubbard - another great brand, which was derived relatively recently. Fruits of bluish-white color can reach 10 kg, but with regular harvesting this usually does not happen. The flesh is bright orange, tender and very sweet. This variety can be eaten raw. Excellent taste qualities allow 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 useful properties.

Pumpkin Cultivation

Squash is completely unpretentious. It can easily be grown on any site, whether it's a dacha or a vegetable garden at home. This kind of pumpkin calmly suffers a lack of moisture and is not at all demanding of heat. Therefore, in whatever climatic conditions you live, you can grow a sufficient amount of the crop for the whole winter season throughout the winter.

In a hole 2-3 seeds are sown and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate. To speed up the appearance of the fruit, the hole is covered with a film. It is very useful to fertilize plants with compost, apply organic and potassium. Squash blossoms constantly and forms a lot of ovaries on shoots-lianas. If you do not pinch them, then kilogram fruits can be collected almost daily. During the whole 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 concluding

As you can see, pumpkin squash is the representative of the whole family, which includes a number of varieties, similar in taste. However, the leader among them is the "pumpkin-spaghetti". The unique structure of its pulp every year only adds popularity. It is worth a man to try it on a visit, and he will not rest until he grows a vegetable on his own private plot. Delicious, tender and incredibly useful, "pumpkin-spaghetti" is sure to become your favorite treat on your table. From it you can prepare lunches and dinners, holiday snacks and dietary dishes, as well as many desserts.