Pumpkin, Squash, Melon

Outhouse Orchards, Croton Falls, NY

This week’s vegetable spotlight for color-full is Pumpkin. Pumpkin is enjoyed in various dishes, in many different communities of color. However, growing up in an Americanize environment, usually I only associated pumpkin with _____________ and _____________. (Two holidays which fall at the end of the year (pun intended). Jack O’ lanterns and pumpkin pie being the most famous uses for pumpkin. After pie I immediately recalled eating pumpkin in Mondongo soup from the Dominican restaurant. When I began to ask my elders how do they cook pumpkin… I am amazed at how versatile, healthy, and color-full my people really do eat. My dad often uses pumpkin to thicken stews as it cooked down and savors roasted pumpkin. Nazma, a fellow gardener is excited to enjoy fried pumpkin flowers. From Bangladesh to Africa outside of the traditional American hamburger and fries many cultures love pumpkin.

As I continue to study at the intersection of culture, gardening and food I realize pumpkin and its relatives are famously yummy. Often pared with root vegetables, over 1 billion pounds of pumpkin is grown in the United States alone yearly. This year, I grew butternut squash and yellow squash (In the photo below, the fruit just beginning to come.) I am not sure if yellow squash is called zucchini. Actually, in many languages squash and pumpkin are used in place of zucchini.  Here are some facts about pumpkin. How many did you know?

Drew Garden, Nazma B. Gardener

1. It is a part of the squash family, along with cucumber, zucchini and all melons including watermelon.
2. In many languages such as Spanish, Cantonese and in native American dialectics melon, pumpkin and squash is used interchangeably. (Try to say squash in Spanish)
3.  Pumpkins can be orange, yellow, white, green or red!
4. Pumpkin has both male and female flowers. Bee's aid in cross-pollination.
5. You can eat the pumpkin flesh, seeds, flowers (leave the female flower if you want to grow a pumpkin) baked, roasted, steamed, or fried.
6.  From Italy to India folks enjoy eating the beautiful pumpkin flower as a delicacy.
7. Pumpkin takes a lot of water, time and space to grow. Giant pumpkins can weigh 1000s of pounds are for competitions... are they eaten afterwards?