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making carbs count FOOD
RESOURCES
www.medscape.com
www.craftsbury.com
www.nutritionfacts.org
water. This makes them a refreshing
snack, particularly in the heat.
They are also low in sodium and
provide a healthy dose of vitamin K,
which helps prevent blood clotting.
Courgette carry about the same
amount of water and have more
potassium than a banana. zucchini
also boasts antioxidants that help
fight inflammation and are a good
source of fibre, vitamin C and betacarotene.
"Pumpkins are also about 90%
water but every part of the gourd
is edible, including the hard skin -
roast a few slices of pumpkin skin
and all with a bit of olive oil and
garlic and you'll soon be won over.
Roasted pumpkin seeds are also a
delicious (and nutritious) snack. The
pumpkin's orange flesh is loaded
with vitamin A and beta-carotene
(which gives the gourd its colour),
and is a good source of potassium."
A long, long time ago
Gourds are believed to be one of
the earliest cultivated species, with
archeologists tracing them back to
the west of Africa more than 10,000
years ago. According to the Buy
West Eat Best website, "Pumpkin
and other squash originated in
the Americas, where they were
consumed by mammoths and
mastodons, spreading the seeds as
they munched.
"Zucchini comes from the Italian
word for squash (zucca) but they
have been dated back thousands
of years to Mexico when they were
thought to have been developed
from the even older pumpkin.
Cucumbers originated in Asia, with
China producing two-thirds of the
world's cucumber and gherkins (also
known as cornichons). The Roman
Emperor Tiberias was known to
enjoy cucumber daily, though it fell
out of favour in the 17th century
when hygiene concerns affected all
uncooked produce.
No special purpose
Gourds were used as containers and
flotation devices, before humans
decided some were good enough
to eat. Early farmers would weed
out the bitter tasting ones and
replant the more palatable ones.
Again, according to Buy West Eat
Best, "The Spanish brought squash
back to Spain in the 15th century.
Europeans didn't warm to their
charms as quickly, with the French
and English mostly feeding them to
animals. The Mayans and Aztecs,
as well as Native American tribes
such as the Cherokee, have used
the pumpkin to treat all manner
of nasties, including roundworm,
burns and kidney problems. The
phrase 'cool as a cucumber' is
rooted in fact - the fruit can cool
the body and the blood."
What's the difference?
According to the website Gardening
Know How, "In the simplest terms,
we carve pumpkins, cook squash
and decorate with gourds. Yet, the
lines between these three terms are
somewhat blurred. Not all pumpkins
are grown for jack-o-lanterns and
some gourds can be eaten when
young." To read more on this, see
the link in the Resources box.
For another opinion, check out
the article on Lifehacker.com by A.A.
Newton who does not hold back,
saying, "The season of the gourd
is upon us once more, my friends.
Littering my home with assorted
decorative gourds has never been
my style, but I get a rabid gleam in
my eye when the edible ones start
popping up at the grocery store.
While I wish I could say that all
gourds are beautiful and deserving
of love, the truth is that some are far
more delicious than others. Here is an
objective ranking of the season's best
offerings. Dead Last: Spaghetti Squash
- Spaghetti squash is unmitigated
trash and I will fight anyone who
insists otherwise." She goes on in that
vein, and it's pretty amusing. See the
link in the Resources box abovoe.
Recipe overleaf.