This season of the year, pumpkins are everywhere you turn. Could the next superfood be hiding in plain sight on supermarket shelves and in pumpkin patches?
Some researchers think so. Practically all parts of the pumpkin – seeds, flesh, and peel – can be eaten. They’re high in fiber, low in calories, and can help lower “bad” (LDL) cholesterol.
Moreover, various pumpkin parts have been found, in different studies, to be protective against conditions ranging from diabetes and high blood pressure to bacterial infections and cancer.
Pumpkins have more going for them than what they bring to the dinner table, though. Like other long-season squash, they’re durable, able to remain edible for months in unrefrigerated storage.
Pumpkins can also tolerate harsh growing conditions, able to make crops in poorer soils, and with less water, than many other crops.
At the Kerr Center, we’ve done our own work with growing pumpkins, in a demonstration of heirloom varieties. (As a bonus, we did it under organic no-till management, with an evaluation of the different warm-season cover crops used in the trial.) If you’re interested in exploring the many benefits of pumpkins for yourself, our free report is a great place to start.
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