When is the ripening time for pumpkins?
Pumpkin is also known as wogua, fangua, fangua and so on. It is an annual climbing herbaceous plant of the genus Cucurbita in the Cucurbitaceae family. It has high nutritional value and is rich in starch, protein, carotene, vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus and other components. It is a melon vegetable commonly eaten by rural people and is increasingly valued by urban people. Now let us take a look at when pumpkins ripen!
When do pumpkins ripen?
Pumpkin is a vegetable that ripens in late summer and early autumn. It generally blooms from May to July and bears fruit from July to September. After fruiting, it can usually be marketed in 10 days, but it takes about 1 month to turn yellow. The fruit stalk of the pumpkin is thick and strong, with ridges and grooves, 5 to 7 cm long, and the stem end expands into a trumpet shape. The pepo varies in shape depending on the variety, and the outside often has several longitudinal grooves or none. There are many seeds, long ovate or oblong, grayish white, with thin edges.
Where is the origin of pumpkins?
Pumpkin originated in the region from Mexico to Central America and has a cultivation history of 9,000 years. Columbus brought it back to Europe, and it was later introduced by the Portuguese to Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and other places, and began to enter China during the Ming Dynasty. It is now widely cultivated around the world, with the largest cultivation area in Asia, followed by Europe and South America. It is widely planted in both northern and southern parts of China, with the most extensive planting in Northeast China, especially in Heilongjiang.
Efficacy and effects of pumpkin
1. Detoxifying effect: Pumpkin contains vitamins and pectin. Pectin has good adsorption, can bind and eliminate bacterial toxins and other harmful substances in the body, such as lead, mercury and radioactive elements among heavy metals, and can play a detoxifying role.
2. Helping digestion: The pectin contained in pumpkin can also protect the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract from irritation by rough food, promote the healing of ulcers, and is suitable for patients with stomach diseases. Its components can promote bile secretion, strengthen gastrointestinal motility, and help food digestion.
3. Lowering blood sugar: Pumpkin is rich in cobalt. Cobalt can activate human metabolism, promote hematopoietic function, and participate in the synthesis of vitamin B12 in the human body. It has a special effect on preventing and treating diabetes and lowering blood sugar.
4. Anti-cancer effect: Pumpkin can eliminate the mutagenic effect of the carcinogen nitrosamine, has an anti-cancer effect, and can help the recovery of liver and kidney function and enhance the regeneration ability of liver and kidney cells.
5. Promoting growth: Pumpkin is rich in zinc, which participates in the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins in the human body, is an inherent component of adrenal cortical hormones, and is an important substance for human growth and development.