Useful properties of butternut pumpkin or nutmeg pumpkin. Pumpkin Butternut: planting, growing and care

pumpkin butternut is a vegetable of the Cucurbitaceae family. This vegetable is also called "walnut pumpkin", and all because of the corresponding taste. This variety has much fewer seeds than in the usual version. Butternut belongs to winter varieties, which allows you to store it long time. The shape of the fruit is pear-shaped. In weight, fruits can reach up to 1 kg. Under the dense peel of yellow-orange color is an oily-looking pulp. Seeds are located in the expanded part (see photo).

This type of pumpkin appeared due to the crossing of 2 others: nutmeg and wild African pumpkin. To date, butternut is widespread throughout the world, but in our area it is still unknown.

Beneficial features

The butternut pumpkin contains coarse dietary fiber, which help improve bowel function, as well as clean it from decay products. Regular use This vegetable makes it possible to regulate the stool and get rid of constipation. Butternut pumpkin is a low-calorie product, which allows it to be used in the process of losing weight and to maintain shape. In addition, she has a low glycemic index which also helps in losing weight. It is recommended to use butternut pumpkin for obesity and hypertension.

Since butternut pumpkin contains many amino acids, it helps improve brain and heart function. This product contains potassium, which helps to cope with swelling. This is due to the fact that the mineral promotes the removal of excess fluid from the body.

In addition, the vegetable contains substances that will improve the condition of the teeth and heart. Butternut pumpkin contains beta-carotene, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the body. This vegetable also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have the ability to lower blood cholesterol levels. There is a lot of vitamin A in butternut pumpkin, which is necessary for vision, and it also improves the condition of the skin and hair. Phosphorus, which is also found in pumpkin, helps in the formation of bone tissue.

In general, it can be concluded that this vitamin gourd has a lot of useful properties.

Use in cooking

Butternut pumpkin can be eaten raw, for example, it is added to salads. In addition, the vegetable can be served in various ways. heat treatment: boil, bake, fry, stew, grill and steam. Butternut can be classified as a universal product, as it goes well with other products. For example, pumpkin is added to first courses, side dishes, etc. This vegetable makes very tasty and unusual sauces. A lot of people people stuffed and baked fruits.

The benefits of butternut pumpkin and treatment

The benefits of butternut pumpkin are due to the rich composition of vitamins and trace elements. Regular consumption of this vegetable helps to normalize the work of the cardiovascular and nervous system. Besides this vegetable It also has a lot of useful properties, which were mentioned earlier.

Harm pumpkin butternut and contraindications

Pumpkin butternut can bring harm with individual intolerance to the product. Caution in the use of this vegetable should be people suffering diabetes. Contraindications to the use of pumpkin are in people with increased acidity of the stomach.

Pumpkin is a very common vegetable. Less common is the butternut pumpkin, which also belongs to the family of the same name. Due to the taste, it is also called "nut". This variety has noticeably fewer seeds than others. The great advantage of such a pumpkin is that it belongs to winter varieties and can be stored for a long time. The weight and size is smaller than the usual. The peel is dense, has a yellow-orange color. Inside - the pulp is oily, the seeds are in the wide part.

Useful properties of this pumpkin

Where did this come from interesting vegetable? This is a consequence of crossing wild African and nutmeg pumpkins. A very common variety around the world, but we are just beginning to appear. Why is butternut pumpkin starting to gain popularity in Russia as well? The reason is simple - the usefulness of a vegetable, because it consists of rough dietary fiber that improve bowel function and cleanse it of most decay products. If you suffer from constipation, eat this vegetable regularly and it will regulate your stool well. What else characterizes butternut pumpkin? Useful properties to some extent depend on its low calorie content.

Due to this, it is actively used to maintain shape and in the process of losing weight. The low glycemic index also contributes greatly to this. With hypertension and obesity, it is also recommended to eat pumpkin dishes. Amino acids help to improve the activity of the heart and brain, potassium - to cope with edema, beta-carotene normalizes the functioning of the whole organism, Omega-3 fatty acids will reduce cholesterol in the blood, vitamin A will improve the condition of hair and skin, necessary for vision. As you will now see, butternut pumpkin, beneficial features which are almost limitless, is widely used in cooking.

The use of butternut in cooking

This pumpkin can be eaten raw, added to salads, can be processed thermally: baked, boiled, stewed, fried, steamed and grilled. This universal product, which goes well with many others, so it is added to side dishes, first courses. Butternut pumpkin can act as the basis for unusual and delicious sauces, from which they prepare the filling for baking and stuffing fruits.

She is stuffed herself. Unlike many "relatives", our pumpkin can be eaten with rich in vitamins thin skin. Butternut easily turns into soup, mashed potatoes, pancakes, cake, cake, jam, hot seasoning and hundreds of other dishes. There are only a few restrictions on its consumption. People with individual intolerance this product, with increased acidity and patients with diabetes, you need to be very careful and, perhaps, completely abandon it.

Pumpkin pulp with cucumber and beets

The main product of our several following dishes there will be a butternut pumpkin. Recipes are attached.

Ingredients for this dish: beets - one, pumpkin - one, cucumber - one, both fresh and pickled, olive oil - four tablespoons, salted butter, soy sauce - two tablespoons, and freshly ground pepper.

We start cooking by peeling the beets. Then we cut off four circles of two-millimeter thickness from it and let them in a frying pan in salted butter for a couple of minutes, splashing a little water. Cut the pumpkin into quarters, boil for 15 minutes and fold gently into a colander. We remove the whole peel.

Cut the pulp into small cubes, spread on the peel. From above we lay out slices of beets cut into strips, then - three circles of cucumber. At the same time, if the cucumber is fresh, you need to sprinkle it for sourness wine vinegar. seasoning soy sauce, pepper, sprinkle with olive oil and, until the dish has cooled, serve.

Crispy appetizer with two and pumpkins

By the way, have you seen what a butternut pumpkin looks like? Do you recognize her photo? Now we will make a crunchy snack out of such a beauty.

We need for four people: a quarter each - white cabbage and a small pumpkin, red cabbage - one, sherry vinegar - four tablespoons, can be replaced with juice from two lemons, olive oil - eight tablespoons, soy sauce - one spoon, freshly ground pepper.

In 15 minutes we will prepare real yummy. We remove the seeds from the pumpkin, gently rub the pulp on a grater. white cabbage finely cut with a knife. We cut the red head into four parts and separate 16 leaves, if possible - strong, boat-shaped. We place all this on a dish, sprinkle with lemon juice or vinegar, olive oil, season with sauce and pepper. Done, ready to serve.

Roast pumpkin with sesame seeds

Considering the options for preparing a vegetable such as butternut pumpkin, baking recipes should also not be forgotten. Now we will tell one of them.

Required Ingredients: one pumpkin large size, three spoons of honey, the same amount - sunflower oil, one spoon of orange juice, two teaspoons of granular mustard, two tablespoons of sesame seeds.

We heat the oven to a temperature of 200 degrees. We clean the pumpkin and cut into four-centimeter pieces, while removing the seeds. Cook for four minutes in a pot of water. The vegetable should become soft on the outside, but retain its density inside. Drain the water and wipe the pumpkin dry. Pour into the mold and heat for five minutes. Then carefully add the chopped butternut there and mix on all sides. Bake until brown and soft, about 35 minutes. Drain excess oil. Mix orange juice, honey and mustard, sesame seeds and evenly distribute over the pumpkin. Bake for another five minutes.

Roast pumpkin butternut

This variety of pumpkin - butternut - is ideal for frying, which we will do with great pleasure now.

We will need: 0.6 kg pumpkin, 20 grams butter, 15 grams of soy sauce, 60 grams

The recipe is not just easy, simpler and easier and you can’t imagine. Cut the butternut into large cubes and lightly fry in a pan in butter. Then add a little water, soy sauce, close the lid and simmer over low heat until the pumpkin becomes soft. Arrange on plates, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve hot. Delicious!

from pumpkin with garlic, ingredients

Butternut pumpkin is more than actively used for cooking various soups, as well as cream soups, which are not only very tasty, but also healthy. Here we will finally tell you about one of these dishes.

For this we need: one onion, half a kilogram of pumpkin, half a small one head of garlic baked in foil, 150 ml of 20% cream, three glasses chicken broth, 50 grams grated hard cheese, 25 grams of butter, black pepper, greens, nutmeg and salt to taste. You can use a green apple.

Cream soup preparation

Now we will tell you in detail how the butternut pumpkin is prepared in this version. The recipe for creamy garlic soup is in front of you. We cut our vegetable in half, scrape out the seeds from it, grease both halves with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and salt.

Then place cut side up on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 30 degrees, then turn over and bake until tender. Wrap the head of garlic in foil and cook at the same temperature for 15 minutes in the oven. We clean the pulp from the pumpkin with a spoon, peel the garlic from the skins. In butter, fry the onion, finely grated, add finely chopped zucchini and butternut pulp.

Stew in hot broth, at the end put the garlic. We send this mixture to a blender, where we puree it and pour it back into the pan. Pepper, salt, add basil and heat a little cream, pour into the soup, then grated cheese there and bring to a boil. The dish is ready, remove from the stove, pour into plates and add greens. Bon appetit!

Graceful beauty nutmeg pumpkin, or butternut pumpkin, unusual shape, a bit reminiscent of an hourglass, can become great addition your diet. She is valued for her sweet nutty taste pale yellow nutritious pulp and numerous useful properties. In Australia and New Zealand, it is known as the "walnut gourd", but the American Indians called it the "apple of God" many centuries ago.

Almost all parts of the plant are edible: fruits, leaves, flowers and seeds.

Butternut squash is surprisingly low in calories, with no cholesterol or saturated fat, but high in fiber, protein, antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals. That's why many nutritionists advise their clients to eat butternut squash dishes to fight overweight and high cholesterol.

1. Vitamin profile: A, C, E, B6, K, folic acid, thiamine and niacin.
2. Mineral profile: calcium and magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium.

Butternut pumpkin is also rich in flavonoids (biologically active plant compounds), such as α- and β-carotenes, lutein, and cryptoxanthin-β.

What benefits can you get

1. Great food for pregnant women. Butternut Gourd supports maternal and fetal health through its exceptional nutritional value and high concentrations of folic acid.
2. Combats symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as mood swings and abdominal cramps, due to the presence of high doses of magnesium, a mineral that supports hormonal balance female body.
3. The digestive benefits of butternut squash are associated with the presence of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber in its pulp, which improves intestinal motility, promotes the reproduction of beneficial microflora and removes toxins from the body.
4. Reduces risk cardiovascular diseases because it contains a large number of magnesium, which minimizes the risk of strokes and heart attacks, and potassium, which fights high blood pressure. But that's not all: vitamin C and beta-carotene prevent the oxidation of cholesterol and its deposition on the walls of the arteries: excellent protection against atherosclerosis. And folic acid in butternut pumpkin is involved in the breakdown of homocysteine, an amino acid whose high level in the blood can lead to a heart attack.
5. Pumpkin butternut in the treatment of cancer, like many other products plant origin, opposes oncological diseases thanks to the pulp, rich in powerful antioxidants. Scientists know for sure that beta-carotene reduces the risk of developing lung and breast cancer.
6. Strengthens the immune system, protects against colds and flu due to the complex natural vitamins: C and beta-carotene. Add to this the vegetable polysaccharides of butternut squash, which, according to the latest scientific data, have antibacterial properties, and get powerful protection against infections. And you can always get the zinc necessary to increase immunity from baked or roasted pumpkin seeds.
7. Good for sight. Compensates for vitamin A deficiency in the body due to the high concentration of beta-carotene, protects against a whole range of eye diseases. and as part of this product, they fight cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
8. To strengthen bones, it is important to ensure not only a constant supply of calcium and phosphorus to the body, but also manganese - mineral matter required for the absorption of calcium. These micronutrients increase bone mineral density and are all present in nutmeg. Meanwhile, vitamin C allows the human body to produce more collagen to build healthy bones, thus preventing the development of osteoporosis.
9. A healthy prostate in men is another reason to include walnut squash in your family's diet. No wonder the extract obtained from this food crop is popular herbal remedy to combat benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).

Cosmetic Benefits

I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to have healthy skin and beautiful shiny hair. Butternut squash is ready to help here too, because it is rich in provitamin A, vitamins C and E. These compounds prevent premature aging, maintain the natural level of acidity (pH) - a natural barrier against acne and skin infections.

Regular consumption of pumpkin of this variety you will no longer be afraid of early wrinkles and age-related pigmentation.

Among the beneficial properties of nutmeg pumpkin, there is one regarding the beauty and health of hair. Biologically active substances This product promotes hair growth, protects them from brittleness, strengthens follicles, relieves dandruff, prevents split ends, softens and nourishes too dry scalp.

To strengthen positive effect, use our tips for making homemade pumpkin cosmetics.

For weight loss

For those who are trying to lose weight, butternut pumpkin will only be a joy. This is one of the most delicious low-calorie foods with a good dietary reputation and high content fiber, stopping rumbling in the stomach and hungry impulses to rummage in the refrigerator. Protect your body from overeating.

Choose heavy fruit with a flawless matte skin that makes a subtle "woody" sound when tapped. A shiny, glossy appearance indicates immaturity - such a pumpkin will not be sweet and palatable.

Store whole butternut squash in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area for up to 3 months. In the cut state, to preserve freshness, it should be wrapped in paper or cotton and placed in the refrigerator, but not more than a week.

Pumpkin butternut provides a lot of opportunities for culinary experiments. It can be baked, steamed and stewed, mashed for soup, ravioli or risotto, cooked custard, add to pies, pancakes and muffins.

Butternut pumpkin is the common name for all varieties that have an elongated pear shape and orange flesh inside the fruit. This variety was bred in North America, where breeders crossed cultivated butternut squash with wild African bottle-shaped fruits.

As a result of the work, a variety was obtained that had all the features of a nutmeg pumpkin and had original shape like lagenaria. The new kind table pumpkin was bred in the 2nd half of the 20th century in the USA, after which hybrids and new varieties of this fragrant and delicious vegetable. Only at the end of the 20th century did the butterfly become known in Europe, from where it came to Russia.

How to grow this variety of pumpkin

Butternut can be grown on the site using the same farming techniques that are required for a regular pumpkin. This melon plant loves water, nitrogen and heat. If you provide butternut with these ingredients, then it will develop well and produce.

To get a crop, you need to select a variety suitable for the local climate. In areas with short summers, it is recommended to grow early varieties and zoned hybrids with small pear-shaped fruits, and in the southern regions medium-late butternuts, which produce pumpkins up to 8 kg.

In areas equated to the Far North, seeds are sown in the soil no later than June 6th. The lack of sun greatly affects fruiting. Therefore, the butternut is planted so that the whips easily reach a sunny place before the formation of fruits.

So that the young plant does not die from a night frost, the seeds are sown 3-4 pieces in specially created holes, where 1 bucket of black earth is poured onto 2 buckets of manure and spilled abundantly hot water which starts the combustion process. The roots of this melon culture love warmth, they easily tolerate elevated temperatures subject to regular watering.

Before germination, the wells are covered with a film. After the appearance of sprouts, the film is used only at night. In mid-June, the shelter is removed. When the sprouts give 2 true leaves, 1-2 plants are left in the hole, the remaining sprouts are removed, and the soil is loosened. This increases the access of oxygen to the roots, and accelerates the growth of young lashes.

Pumpkin butternut is very sensitive to soil loosening. In dense soil without watering, the plant can sit all season without developing its lashes.

Until the plants are lashed with melons, they are watered abundantly warm water. When it rains heavily, they collect water and pour it into the wells with butternut. The more the hole is saturated with water during the rainy season, the larger the fruits will be. The accumulated moisture allows the plant to easily survive the July drought.

During the period of active growth of the lashes, the pumpkin must be intensively fed, watering once every 10 days with mullein infusion. This prevents the ovary from rotting due to a lack of nutrients.

Abundant feeding and watering is stopped when the lashes begin to grow fruits. The butternut ovary rots and falls off if the root system suffers from an excess of moisture. A pumpkin that has begun to bear fruit is watered only when its wide leaves fall down, which clearly indicates a lack of moisture.

After the ovary has begun to pour, the melon can be left alone. Butternuts have enough strength to complete the vegetation process on their own. The pumpkin is harvested after the stalk dries up.

When there is a threat of early autumn frosts, slightly unripe fruits are carefully removed, leaving a stalk with a long piece of whip on each pumpkin, from which the fruit will get the nutrition it lacks and ripen.

On winter storage leave only fruits with a dry stalk. Other fruits varying degrees maturity is fed to animals. They are quickly affected by bacterial rot and deteriorate.

What varieties to choose

Butternut varieties and hybrids from companies selling seeds are constantly on sale. Butternat pumpkin, the photo of which is presented below, helps to understand what its fruit looks like.

All commercially available varieties have the same growing requirements. They form whips of different lengths, on which the ovary constantly appears. Varieties differ:

• by maturity;
• the size and weight of the fetus;
• the sugar content in the pulp;
• shades of color and taste;
• the amount of dry matter in the pulp;
• seed chamber;
• pulp density;
• crust thickness;
• storage capacity.

A description of the butternut pumpkin varieties will help you choose a culture suitable for your place of residence, grow it on the site in order to enjoy its special nutty taste:

• The Cello variety belongs to the strongly weaving mid-season varieties. Pumpkin reaches a weight of up to 8 kg, ripening on the 110th day. The fruit has a thin pink-beige peel. Pumpkin surprises with dense, oily flesh, painted in bright orange color, sweet in taste. When cut, a pronounced fruity aroma emanates from the fruit. The seed chamber is small, with a small amount seeds. The lightness is good.
• Pumpkin Zhemchuzhina, a short climbing plant with elongated cylindrical fruits. The maximum weight does not exceed 7.5 kg. The peel is colored in a light yellowish-orange hue. When cut, a pigment-rich, orange-red flesh is found. The seed chamber is very small, it contains small flat seeds. The pulp is tender, juicy. Productivity up to 15 kg/m2.
• Pumpkin Matilda is famous for its high content of carotene. This late variety ripening while lying indoors. The fruit will be ready for consumption no earlier than December. The maximum fruit weight is 5 kg. ripe fruit has orange flesh with a sweet taste and honey aroma. Keeps well until spring.

• Pumpkin Pluto bears small fruits no more than 1.5 kg. This variety can be grown in areas with short summers. The fruits ripen 3 months after sowing seeds in open ground. Pluto is resistant to stress, quickly sets fruit. This variety has dense bright orange flesh with pleasant smell.
• Pastila-Champagne pumpkin weighs up to 3 kg. This variety has a pink coloration of the fruit peel with an indistinctly traced mesh and a nutty-tasting pulp of bright orange. It has excellent keeping quality.
• Portion pumpkin Peanut butter grows up to 1 kg. This is another variety that produces crops in areas with risky farming. Ripens on the 90th day. Up to 30 fruits are tied on 1 bush. Pumpkin has a pear shape. The pulp is dense, bright, oily, with a bright nutty flavor. Perfectly stored throughout the winter.
• Pumpkin Prikubanskaya belongs to medium climbing varieties, yielding a yield of 5 kg / m2. Fruits weighing up to 5 kg ripen on the 136th day after sowing the seeds. The fruit is cylindrical, elongated, pear-shaped, forming a slight thickening at the flower end. A light shade of orange-brown nutmeg pumpkin has a smooth surface with a mesh pattern. The flesh of this variety is red-orange, sweetish in taste with a pleasant fruity smell. Taste qualities medium. The skin of this butternut variety is thin, so the pumpkin is stored for no more than 3 months after harvesting. Frozen fruits spoil quickly.

When choosing a butternut squash variety, they proceed from the way this healthy fruit is used. Varieties with large fruits are needed in a private home where juicy food is fed to pets. Small portioned pumpkins are suitable for lovers of baked pumpkins living in a city apartment. Medium weight fruits are good for cooking baby food, juices, casseroles.

Step 1: Boil Pumpkin.

For this dessert, we need a peeled and whole pumpkin (the same piece of 250 gr.). To do this, remove the peel from the pumpkin, remove the seeds and stir boiling water with a pinch of salt in a larger saucepan. In this "brine" and put, without cutting, a piece of pumpkin. Waiting for it to boil cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes. Be sure to check if the pumpkin is overcooked. To do this, you can bury your knife in the pulp. If the knife enters softly, you can turn it off. We put the boiled piece of pumpkin in a colander, water should drain from it, and also pumpkin needs to cool down.

Step 2: prepare the syrup and nuts.

For this dessert walnuts are best. Their specific taste, slightly bitter, will go well with honey syrup. plus in walnuts There is iodine and some vitamins. But if not walnuts, fit, in principle, any. Let's start with the honey syrup first. To get it 20 gr. we breed honey in hot water in proportion 1:4, that is, for 20 gr., we need 70-80 ml of boiling water. In a small saucepan the syrup will need to be mixed with cinnamon and warmed up. As soon as the syrup boils, turn it off. Be sure to stir so that the honey does not settle and does not burn.
Grind nuts in a blender and mix with powdered sugar until smooth.

Step 3: fill the pumpkin.

A mixture of ground nuts And powdered sugar pour into a saucer. Divide the chilled boiled pumpkin into 2x2 cm squares. Each piece carefully needs to be rolled in nuts and put on the dishes. in which you will submit. Sprinkle the remaining mixture on top of the pumpkin. Now the squares must be poured over with honey syrup. Ready meal now cool in the fridge for 15-20 minutes and dessert is ready!

Step 4: serve pumpkin with nuts.

Our dessert will be ready when completely cooled, so during this time we pour Herb tea with lemon balm or mint. It will be just right for such a vitamin and sweet dessert. Pumpkin with nuts is served directly in the dish in which it was cooled. For dessert, it is better to offer small saucers and forks. Bon appetit!

If you want to feed it healthy dessert small, it would be better not to cut the pumpkin into pieces, but to grate on coarse grater. Be careful, the child should not be allergic to the ingredients of the recipe!

Dessert is inherently dietary and lean. It contains neither oil nor sugar. Therefore, it is perfect for those who follow their figure, and those who adhere to posts.

The aroma can be made more spicy, for this, fresh grated ginger is usually added to honey syrup when cooking or a couple of fragrant carnation flowers.