Butternut squash

Nutmeg pumpkin is the most late-sighted and heat-loving representative of the pumpkin kingdom, but it is also considered the most delicious. The heat-loving nature of this plant is due to the homeland of the origin of nutmeg pumpkin - for the first time it began to be grown in Mexico.

For our country, nutmeg pumpkin is not a very frequent guest in the beds, since it is possible to grow it in the middle strip only through seedlings. Nevertheless, in the southern regions of the Russian Federation, one of the varieties of nutmeg pumpkin is often cultivated - Turkestan.

It is worth noting that there are also subspecies of butternut squash - Colombian, Mexican and North American. Moreover, a very thin crust distinguishes muscat pumpkin from all other species of this plant, more precisely, not even a crust, but the thinnest skin, which is easily removed with a knife.

The fruits of nutmeg pumpkin are not the usual round shape characteristic of our pumpkin - they more resemble zucchini, which narrows in the middle and has a thickening in place of the flower. In addition, the seed nest of the nutmeg pumpkin is small, and there is a lot of pulp inside. In color, the fruits are usually yellowish-brown, sometimes with longitudinal stripes of green color. The pumpkin pulp is nutmeg bright orange with a slight nutmeg aroma.

Nutmeg pumpkin is not in vain considered the most delicious - its flesh is quite sweet and very fragrant. It is customary to eat this vegetable both raw (for example, in lettuce) and cook puree, porridge, pies and fritters from it. In India, for example, butternut squash even makes excellent halva.

A distinctive feature of nutmeg pumpkin is that the longer the fruits lie, the brighter the color acquires their flesh. However, the amount of vitamins and other nutrients becomes much less in this vegetable over time.

Meanwhile, nutmeg pumpkin is considered a very useful dietary product that is easily absorbed by the human body. It includes vitamins of group B, PP, E, K, C, as well as mineral salts. In addition, the bright orange pulp of nutmeg pumpkin is due to the high content of a large amount of carotene (twice or three times as much as in the same carrot).

It is worth noting that regular consumption of nutmeg pumpkin, like other types of this vegetable, contributes to the elimination of toxins and other harmful substances from the human body. In addition, the benefit of this product lies in its ability to help get rid of fat deposits at the expense of low nutritional value, as well as strengthen immunity. The diuretic properties of butternut squash are also well known, in connection with which it is advised to use it for liver and kidney diseases.