Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wednesday's Helping: Zucchini

Garden treasure that is totally tubular

We're talking about awesome zucchini. Picking one right off the plant means that it’s the hot summer time here on the U.S. East Coast. This summer squash is related to cucumber and is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. Look for bottle-shaped fruits that can range in color from light to dark green, yellow, and others have yellow and green striations. The inside flesh, which contains many seeds, is off-white with a yellow tint.

Zucchini possesses slightly earthy and buttery flavors. The whole squash (seeds and all) is edible. The squash originated in the Americas with Christopher Columbus carrying some back to Europe. The most popular varieties called “zucchini” became popular and were developed in Italy in subsequent centuries. Zucchini started to grow in popularity in the U.S. during the 1920s. Today, most major grocery stores have zucchini year-around. Grocery stores import zucchini from Central and South America during the winter months.

Remember that this is a fruit that’s treated as a vegetable. Try substituting diced zucchini to a stir-fry instead of eggplant or mushrooms. We also suggest grilling this squash at your next outdoor barbecue. Select fresh zucchini that are heavy for their size and have unblemished skin. This fruit is a good source dietary fiber along with Vitamins A and C.

No comments:

Post a Comment