Pumpkin Cucurbita pepo

Storage Tips

Pumpkins will last several weeks if stored in a cool, dry place.

You may also process pumpkins by cooking and pureeing them and then storing them in air-tight containers in the freezer.

Cooking Tips

Pumpkins can be steamed, boiled, baked or sautéed. Cut the flesh into 1 ½ -2 inch pieces and steam or boil until tender. Pumpkins can also be steamed or baked in halves.

Pumpkin seeds are a nutritious snack. Rinse the seeds and blot dry. Add a few drops of cooking oil and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes.

Uses

▸Pumpkin soup

▸Pumpkin muffins

▸Add pumpkin puree to tomato sauces and serve over pasta

▸Sauté with onion, fresh ginger and drizzle with maple syrup

Pumpkins are members of the family cucurbitaceae which include the other vine crops; melons, cucumbers, and squash. They are native to the New World and have been cultivated by Native Americans for centuries. They are grown primarily for their use as jack-O-lanterns at Halloween and in pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving.

Pumpkins are actually a type of winter squash with a hard rind. Pie pumpkins are smaller, sweeter, and have more flesh than do the pumpkins that are grown for jack-O-lanterns that have relatively large seed cavities and thin walls.

Canned “pumpkin” pie filling is often a type of squash and not really pumpkin at all.

What to Look for When Purchasing

Select pumpkins that have been picked ripe and are free of soft spots.

Provided to you by

Wisconsin Fresh Market Vegetable Growers Association

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size = 1 c cooked

· Calories – 49

· Proteins (g) – 1.7

· Carbohydrates (g) – 12

· Fiber (g) – 2.7

· Fat (g) – 0.2

· Vitamin A I.U.) – 2651

· Vitamin E(mg) – 2.5

· Vitamin C (mg) – 11.5

· Iron (mg) – 1.4

· Potassium (mg) – 564

Pumpkins are high in carotene and will protect against vision loss, heart disease, and cancer. Pumpkins are also a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamins C & E and iron.