GARDENS Squash, Pumpkin or Gourd

SQUASH, PUMPKIN OR GOURD…

Squash, Pumpkins and Gourds are all members of the Cucurbitaceae family, and melons too… However, not all gourds are squash, but many squashes are gourds and a pumpkin is both a squash and a gourd. And all of them are a fruit, and not a vegetable like many believe. See, I didn’t lie about it being confusing and complicated! There are several distinctions between them all though that should make it a little clearer…

Get ready to be a little confused!

The stem is more likely to snap and break on a squash, plus it is usually too short to work with. On the other hand, the stem of the pumpkin is hard and firm, making it easier to grip. The main difference between pumpkin and squash is that the pumpkin stem is hard and jagged, while the squash stem is light and hollow and more likely to snap and break. The stem of the pumpkin is hard and firm, making it easier to grip. Gourds are mainly grown for decoration and traditionally used as storage vessels for water and food. Gourds take between 100 to 180 days to reach maturity and are now often used as bird houses and transformed into bird feeders. The flesh of a gourd is too thin and not very tasty to be able to make a meal out of. A pumpkin, while also decorative, has a thicker flesh, which is quite sweet, and often is used in sweeter recipes like pumpkin pie, roasted pumpkin and soups. Squash on the other hand is a little more savoury in flavour perfect for roasting, souping, dicing, pureeing and all-around eating. Squash is typically divided into two seasons,

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summer and winter. The wide variety of yellow and green courgettes belong to the summer squash category, while butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash belong to the winter variety. Summer squash will mature in around only 45 to 60 days, and winter squash in 80 to 100 days. The best part about squashes and pumpkins is that all parts, including the vine and leaves are edible and packed with nutrition. The flowers can be used as a tasty garnish, or fried, the flesh and skins can be eaten and the seeds make a brilliant snack when toasted with a bit of olive oil, salt and your preferred seasoning. The vine can be used as a substitute for collard greens or turnip greens recipes. Leaves are eaten raw in salads. Portugal happens to be the fourth largest producer of pumpkins and squashes in Europe, If you want to try growing your own, you live in the perfect country to do so!