Creating A Better World

This is that beautiful time of year when jack-o-lanterns peek through the most amazing variety of colorful fallen leaves,  cool, blustery days are followed by frosty nights, and hints of the coming holidays appear in every store window.  The most obvious symbols of the season are pumpkins: carved, painted and decorated in every conceivable fashion.  Occasionally we even eat them!

Pumpkins are grown all over the world, except Antarctica, and they are a staple in many cultures.  Early settlers always kept pumpkins in their root cellars to provide nourishment through the cold winter months.

Pumpkins are high in lutein and both alpha and beta carotene.

When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked, steamed, or roasted.  Pumpkins that are still small and green may be eaten in the same way as other squash such as zucchini. In the Middle East,  pumpkin is used for sweet dishes; a well-known sweet delicacy is called halawa yaqtin. In South Asian countries pumpkin is cooked with butter, sugar, and spices in a dish called kadu ka halwa. In China, the leaves of the pumpkin plant are consumed as a cooked vegetable or in soups. In Thailand small pumpkins are steamed with custard inside and served as a dessert.  Also, pumpkin can be used to flavor both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

Pumpkin seeds have many health benefits, some of which include a good source of  protein, zinc  and other  vitamins and are even said to lower cholesterol.  Pumpkin seeds are a good source of magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and phytosterols, which can benefit the liver and can increase immune response.

Pumpkin-seed oil has been a folk remedy for prostate  problems, it has in fact been shown to combat benign prostatic hyperplasia.  Pumpkin seed oil contains fatty acids which help maintain healthy blood vessels and nerves, and are loaded with essential fatty acids that help to maintain healthy blood vessels, nerves and tissues.

Enjoy the season and remember to put aside a few pumpkins for your dining pleasure!