“Let food be
thy medicine and medicine be thy food” - Hippocrates
pumpkin seed (Cucurbita pepo)
Pumpkin
seeds are the edible seeds from a squash like gourd that originated in
Mexico and is now widely grown world wide.
You can
save your own seeds from your home grown pumpkins and squashes. See the
seed saving information at the Real Seed Catalogue. The link is below.
Pumpkin
seeds are also processed commercially to yield pumpkin seed oil.
Pumpkin
seeds are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids as well as fibre,
vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Pumpkin
seeds are increasingly being associated with prostate health because
they supply some minerals that are increasingly missing from modern day
diets. Also check out the herb "saw palmeto" for prostate health.
As with
most seeds, it's best to soak them in clean water for a few hours and
discard any dubious looking ones.
Pumpkin
seeds can be added to salads.
They can
be used as an ingredient in many raw food recipes, for example crackers.
You can
also season them with some cumin, tamari, garlic powder and a little
curry powder to make delicious pumpkin seeds to snack on.
You can
use pumpkin seeds, either on their own, or add some sunflower seeds for
extra nutrition, to make a delicious milk. Simply blend them together with water, and strain
through a fine meshed seed
bag, to produce a delicious seed milk.
The Real Seed Catalogue
~ WINTER SQUASH (PUMPKINS) ~
"We continue our search for squash that mature quickly, taste great, and
keep a long time for you to eat over the winter. An easily-grown
favourite with all the family!"
Amy Goldman's book "The Complete Squash" is a fascinating
guide. It's one of those books that is so passionately put together with
beautiful photographs and detail A real work of art that you just have to
pick up and read.
