The Humble Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd that belongs to one of the four species of the
squash. Its shell is thick and is orange or yellow in color. Inside are
pulp and seeds. Its origin is not definite but were thought to be of
North American however, the oldest evidence were found in Mexico. Its
genus, Cucurbita, was first cultivated in Mexico and Central America and
is now used in many other countries. The only place that is not able to
grow pumpkins is Antarctica.. Pumpkins are widely cultivated in the
United States making it one of their most popular crops. It grows well
in warm weather and is usually planted in early July in the United
States, just in time to harvest for Thanksgiving.
Pumpkins are often wind pollinated and are the type of plant which has
both the male and female flowers, although separate but on the same
plant. Its flowers has a short life span. It is a good source of Vitamin
A as it is in rich in lutein and carotene. It also high in fiber which
is good for proper digestion.
There are a lot of uses to pumpkins, making it into pie is one of the
most popular use other than being as a decorative lantern for Halloween
in North America. It can be boiled or steamed when ripe and can be eaten
like a zucchini when still small. Its leaves and flowers can also be
used as vegetables and garnish, respectively. The seeds of a pumpkin can
be roasted making it a delightful snack that is full of healthy benefits
with abundance on magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, phytosterols,
protein and zinc. The pumpkin seed oil is also used in other countries
in cooking and salad dressing as it is also rich in fatty acids
necessary for good health and also aids in reducing inflammation.
A study done and published in 2007 suggesting that extracts in pumpkins
help reduce the need for insulin for those people suffering type-1
diabetes but these results do not suggest the same conclusion for type-2
diabetes because it was not part of the research.
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