22
making carbs count
FOOD
Autumn is
associated with
leaves changing
colour from
green to orange,
then Halloween
creeps along,
shops are awash
with big orange
pumpkins along
with other
squash and
gourds. Here we
check some of
them out. By Sue
Marshall
The gourd life
H
alf the fun is the names
and shapes of these
creative little charmers.
There's a munchkin
pumpkin, and its white sibling, the
baby ghost munchkin pumpkin. Then
there's a spaghetti squash and bottle,
dipper and nest egg gourds.
"The gourd family, also known
as Cucurbitaceae or cucurbits, is
a large, rambling one with more
than 900 members", according to
the website for Buy West Eat Best
based in Western Australia. It goes
on to say, "They are flowering plants
that bear a mixture of edible and
ornamental fruit. The latter are not
meant for human consumption but
are turned into everything from
bowls to musical instruments. Some
have hard casings, such as melons
and some pumpkins. Others are
softer, with an edible skin, such as
cucumber and courgettes."
Surface deep?
The website goes on to say, "They
aren't necessarily what they seem on
the surface. Despite being treated
more like a vegetable, pumpkin is
botanically a fruit, as are all edible
gourds. It can be nice and sweet,
such as in the traditional American
pumpkin pie, they make super
scones, or can soak up the spices in a
curry or laksa.
"Pumpkin is also a squash, though
not all squash are gourds. And some
you think fits both categories are
neither - eggplants have the shape of
a gourd but belong to the nightshade
family. Zucchini, also known by its
French name courgette, contains
seeds and grows on the flowering
part of the plant like other fruit.
It works really well as a vegetable,
though. Use a spiralizer to turn it
into pasta or pair it with cheese and
tomato for a BBQ delight.
"Cucumber is another gourd used
mostly as a vegetable, though when
it is equally at home in a salad as it
is a spicy salsa or an ice-cold G&T,
we just admire its versatility. Many
are mostly water (and other good
stuff). Cucumbers are more than 95%