Know Your Squash

This 2010 Pumpkin Season, here at T and A Farm, we have four types of squash. Lets take a look at them!

Ms. Abby says...

Squash could also be cook until tender in 350 oven. Just cut in half and place cut side down in baking dish with half inch to inch of water. Acorn squash is so sweet if cooked long enough and is creamy not stringy.

When you are done learning about our squash, try some of the Squash Recipes!

(All Courtesy of Whats Cooking America and Specialty Produce)

Acorn Squash

As its name suggests, this winter squash is small and round shaped like an acorn. It's easy to slice into halves and fill with butter. A small acorn squash weighs from 1 to 3 pounds, and has sweet, slightly fibrous flesh. Its distinct ribs run the length of its hard, blackish-green or golden-yellow skin. In addition to the dark green acorn, there are now golden and multi-colored varieties. This squash is not as rich in beta-carotene as other winter squashes, but is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium, as well as smaller amounts of vitamins C and B, magnesium, and manganese. Try toasting the seeds just as you would pumpkin seeds! Or Try Martha Stewart’s Acorn Squash and Honey Pie! (Pictured Below)

 

Butternut Squash

Butternut is the most widely grown winter squash. Beige colored and shaped like a vase or a bell. This is a more watery squash and tastes somewhat similar to sweet potatoes. It has a bulbous end and pale, creamy skin, with a choice, fine-textured, deep-orange flesh with a sweet, nutty flavor. Some people say it is like butterscotch. It weighs from 2 to 5 pounds. The more orange the color, the riper, drier, and sweeter the squash.  Butternut is a common squash used in making soup because it tends not to be stringy. Try the Martha Stewart's Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup! (Pictured Below)

Carnival Squash

Cream colored with orange spots or pale green with dark green spots in vertical stripes. Carnival Squash have hard, thick skins and only the flesh is eaten. It is sometimes labeled as a type of acorn squash. The delicious yellow meat is reminiscent of sweet potatoes and butternut squash and can be baked or steamed then combined with butter and fresh herbs. It is also great in soups. Fat-free and sodium-free, a three-fourths cup serving provides fiber, carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron and thirty calories making it a great healthy food! Try Creamy Carnival Squash Bisque. (Pictured Below)

Spaghetti Squash

A small, watermelon-shaped variety, ranges in size from 2 to 5 pounds or more. It has a golden-yellow, oval rind and a mild, nutlike flavor. The yellowiest Spaghetti squash will be the ripest and best to eat. Those that are nearly white are not very ripe. Although it may seem counterintuitive, larger spaghetti squash are more flavorful than smaller ones. When cooked, the flesh separates in strands that resemble spaghetti pasta and may used in place of regular noodles. Spaghetti Squash can be stored at room temperature for about a month. Spaghetti squash also freezes well. Try Martha Stewart’s Roasted Spaghetti Squash With Herbs! (Pictured Below)

 

Pumpkin Nutrition Information

The bright orange color of pumpkin is a dead giveaway that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health.

Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protect against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts
(1 cup cooked, boiled, drained, without salt)

Calories 49
Protein 2 grams
Carbohydrate 12 grams
Dietary Fiber 3 grams
Calcium 37 mg
Iron 1.4 mg
Magnesium 22 mg
Potassium 564 mg    Zinc 1 mg
Selenium .50 mg
Vitamin C 12 mg
Niacin 1 mg
Folate 21 mcg
Vitamin A 2650 IU
Vitamin E 3 mg

From the University of Illinois

Strawberry Nutrition Information

Strawberry Nutrition Information from www.strawberry-recipes.com

If you didn't already love strawberries for their delicious taste, you would start eating them for their nutrition and health benefits.

Strawberries have higher levels of vitamin c, fiber, folate and potassium than most other fruits like bananas, apples and even oranges.

Apart from the obvious health benefits, a recent study by Dr. Gene Spiller, Nutrition and Health Research Center, has shown that eating one serving (about 8-10 strawberries) a day can significantly decrease blood pressure, which may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Other studies showed additional benefits: Strawberries are found to reduce risk of cancer, enhance memory function and rheumatoid arthritis.

All nutrition information is based on 1 cup (8 to 10) fresh strawberries
- Calories: ca. 50
- Protein 1 g
- Fat 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates 11 g
- Sugar 7 g
- Fiber 3.5 g
- Iron 0.6 mg
- Sodium 2 mg
- Calcium 22 mg
- Phosphate 30 mg
- Riboflavine 0.1 mg
- Vitamin C 85 mg
- Potassium 240 mg
- Zinc 0.2 mg
- Niacin 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B6 92 mcg
- Folate 34 mcg



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~T and A Farm
http://tandafarm.webs.com/
tandafarm@aol.com

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
By: Allrecipes Staff (http://allrecipes.com/)

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

1. Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)
2. Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.
4. Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

Roasted pumpkin seeds have a nutty flavor and are packed with protein and fiber. Pumpkin seeds are delicious toasted and salted, but they're even better flavored with sweet and savory spices.

While You Wait:
Also, according the All-Recipe Staff here is why we call carved pumpkins Jack-O-Lanterns:

The story of the Jack o'Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the Jack o'Lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect Jack o'Lanterns.