Produce Briefs...
Orange Honeydew Melon
Oval-to-round and a delicious cross between a cantaloupe and a honeydew, the very fleshy juicy orangish-yellow pulp of the orange honeydew melon is encased in a hard very yellow matching rind.
Galia Melon
The Galia melon has a lightly netted golden yellow rind with a pale glacial green succulent flesh that has a signature spicy sweet flavor with tropical and perfumed aromatics.
Grower
Growing in all shapes and sizes, look for pumpkins beginning in the fall.
Encased in a moderately hard shell, the thick edible flesh harbors a central multi-seed cavity. The bright orange flesh offers a consistent sweet mild flavor. Pumpkin seeds, known as pepitas, may be roasted and enjoyed as a snack. Lovely pumpkin blossoms may be used like any of those of the squash family, deliciously batter-dipped and fried.
A very tasty source of vitamins and minerals, a pumpkin's nutritious orange flesh offers beta carotene, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil offer zinc and unsaturated fatty acids that are effective in helping prostate problems.
Fresh pumpkin may be cooked in a variety of ways but also keeps very well and may be canned or frozen. Peel and dice into chunks, then cook with onions, carrots, celery, red curry paste and stock, then puree into a Thai-inspired soup. Simmer diced pumpkin in coconut milk with onions, ginger, garlic and cilantro until cooked through, then serve the curry over rice. Fold one pound of fresh pumpkin puree into muffin batter with raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg, then bake. Roast the seeds on a cookie sheet at a low oven temperature; stir often and watch carefully so they don't burn. To store, keep pumpkin in a cool dry area up to one month, or refrigerate for up to 3 months.
Native to Central America, growers through the years have cross-pollinated different varieties of pumpkins to create new cultivars. Seeds developed by William Warnock near the turn of the century are credited for all the giant pumpkins grown today. In fact, he grew the very first record-breaking pumpkin in 1893 which weighed in at a whopping 365 pounds. The word pumpkin is derived from "pepon", a Greek word meaning "a large melon". The English called it "pumpion or pompion", a term dating back to 1547. It wasn't until 1647, however, that this term appeared in print. One of the many foods prized by Native American Indians in the New World, the grand pumpkin which they called "isquotersquash" was also a very welcomed hardy food for hungry Pilgrims. Not only excellent for eating, creative Indians pounded strips of pumpkin flat, dried them and wove the dried pumpkin strips into mats.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pumpkins. One
is easiest, three is harder.
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Seasons/Availability
Growing in all shapes and sizes, look for pumpkins beginning in the fall.
Description/Taste
Encased in a moderately hard shell, the thick edible flesh harbors a central multi-seed cavity. The bright orange flesh offers a consistent sweet mild flavor. Pumpkin seeds, known as pepitas, may be roasted and enjoyed as a snack. Lovely pumpkin blossoms may be used like any of those of the squash family, deliciously batter-dipped and fried.
Nutritional Value
A very tasty source of vitamins and minerals, a pumpkin's nutritious orange flesh offers beta carotene, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil offer zinc and unsaturated fatty acids that are effective in helping prostate problems.
Applications
Fresh pumpkin may be cooked in a variety of ways but also keeps very well and may be canned or frozen. Peel and dice into chunks, then cook with onions, carrots, celery, red curry paste and stock, then puree into a Thai-inspired soup. Simmer diced pumpkin in coconut milk with onions, ginger, garlic and cilantro until cooked through, then serve the curry over rice. Fold one pound of fresh pumpkin puree into muffin batter with raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg, then bake. Roast the seeds on a cookie sheet at a low oven temperature; stir often and watch carefully so they don't burn. To store, keep pumpkin in a cool dry area up to one month, or refrigerate for up to 3 months.
Geography/History
Native to Central America, growers through the years have cross-pollinated different varieties of pumpkins to create new cultivars. Seeds developed by William Warnock near the turn of the century are credited for all the giant pumpkins grown today. In fact, he grew the very first record-breaking pumpkin in 1893 which weighed in at a whopping 365 pounds. The word pumpkin is derived from "pepon", a Greek word meaning "a large melon". The English called it "pumpion or pompion", a term dating back to 1547. It wasn't until 1647, however, that this term appeared in print. One of the many foods prized by Native American Indians in the New World, the grand pumpkin which they called "isquotersquash" was also a very welcomed hardy food for hungry Pilgrims. Not only excellent for eating, creative Indians pounded strips of pumpkin flat, dried them and wove the dried pumpkin strips into mats.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pumpkins. One
is easiest, three is harder.
