Pumpkins are easy to grow and are excellent because every part can be used

(Added on January 8, 2024)

Introduction

This is also from back when I used to grow vegetables. Whenever I had space in the garden or the field, I would sow pumpkin seeds. Usually, they were seeds from pumpkins that tasted good. I would wash them with water, remove the slime from the surface, and let them dry. Then I would plant them at the appropriate time.

When they bear fruit, even the seeds can be used. They are truly worth eating, and because every part can be used, there is no waste.

Today is a story about that.

When you get a pumpkin

I have mostly managed by sowing seeds from pumpkins I have eaten in the past. I have been doing this for almost 10 years. They are a useful vegetable, and around July, when carrots are not in season, pumpkins are just at their harvest time. Therefore, they brilliantly play the role of a pinch hitter as a green and yellow vegetable.

Moreover, since home-saved pumpkin seeds usually have moderate sweetness compared to store-bought ones, they can be used in various dishes without any discomfort. Since I get ones that are definitely ripe, I know in advance how long they will last. For that reason, it is fine to leave them rolling in a corner of the kitchen for a while, and by the time August arrives, I can store cut pieces in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, or freeze them after the summer Obon season.

You can eat almost any variety like this.

And, the seeds

I select the delicious ones from among them using my own tongue. I save the seeds of that pumpkin. When cutting the pumpkin, I immediately take the seeds, wash them right away to clean the surface, and spread them out on newspaper to dry on the veranda. They dry in no time. I store these in a paper bag in the vegetable compartment. And when the appropriate time comes, I sow them in the field or in a corner of the garden.

Since I eat many pumpkins during the season, I act with the understanding that I won't necessarily hit upon a delicious pumpkin right away. Because they are home-saved seeds, they cross-pollinate with various surrounding pollen, so they vary.

What to do with leftover seeds

If a pumpkin I eat later turns out to be more delicious than the seeds I had already saved, I switch them out. As for what to do with the seeds of the pumpkin I had originally saved, I dry-roast them in a frying pan.

Pumpkin seeds are not only a role as bird feed, but they are also a food that humans can eat and enjoy. Recently, I see commercial products that include them in granola. Freshly roasted seeds are fragrant and are just as good as, if not better than, the nuts you find in stores. Plus, since I grew them myself, their safety is guaranteed.

Pumpkins are excellent

Basically, you should not grow the same vegetables in the same spot repeatedly. This is especially true for solanaceous vegetables and taro. Therefore, we use crop rotation to rotate the fields row by row.

However, there is almost no need to worry about pumpkins. Basically, you can grow them without any concerns. This is also true for carrots and the like. Therefore, I have grown pumpkins and carrots whenever I wanted to, in whatever location I wanted, without being picky about the spot.

Conclusion

We must be grateful for the pumpkin fruit. It is an excellent food that not only contains β-carotene as a green-yellow vegetable but is also rich in vitamins A, B, C, and E, and allows you to consume carbohydrates like starch at the same time.

This also applies to sweet potatoes, but it might be a good idea to be prepared to grow them at any time as famine-relief vegetables. The seeds are just as nutritious as the fruit, rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals. The importance of this vegetable, along with leafy greens, is irreplaceable.

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