5 Types of Winter Squash

Although most squashes are considered vegetables, they boast a delightful and unique taste when compared to other fruits. Furthermore, their versatility means they can be prepared in a number of ways.

Fruit juice, squash, and cordials are tasty beverages with their distinct benefits, each one offering something different from what can be expected in terms of nutritional benefits or sheer taste. A 150ml portion counts towards your five daily fruit and veggie servings while adding an extra burst of flavor!

Butternut squash

Butternut squash is a trendy winter vegetable, boasting edible orange pulp and long necks with dull tan skins and dense textures featuring sweet, nutty notes. Butternut squash is often found in soups and casseroles and pureed into soups, pasta dishes, or smoothies; its nutritional profile includes fiber, vitamin A, and potassium content.

Pumpkin’s distinctively rich flavor makes it suitable for many culinary applications. From whole to cubed preparations and roasting into salads to curries, chilies, stews, and risotto applications – from filling tacos, enchiladas, and ravioli with it as filling to pairing well with spices like sage thyme bay leaf apple cinnamon pear and even pairing well as part of pie dough or bread muffin dough recipes to roasting its seeds into snacks similar to pumpkin seeds – its versatility ensures it suits many culinary applications!

Butternut squash is packed with vitamin A; one cup of cooked cubed squash provides 450% of your recommended daily allowance! Plus, it’s a great source of fiber to aid in digestive health and avoid constipation; its vitamin A content also benefits eye health with protection from dry eyes and night blindness, acting as a powerful antioxidant helping lower risks such as heart disease and cancer.

Butternut squash is rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A and vitamin C – both essential components of effective immune functioning and fighting off infections. Furthermore, butternut squash also provides many other essential nutrients, including potassium, calcium, iron, and niacin. These nutritional values it make butternut squash an excellent choice for pregnant women and children, as it has no sodium or cholesterol and no gluten (making it gluten-free for celiac sufferers), as well as being suitable for celiac disease sufferers consuming butternut squash before eating as uncooked squash may contain the deadly toxin cucurbitacin which could cause severe allergic reactions in some people.

Pumpkin

Pumpkins are an iconic symbol of autumn and can be incorporated into both sweet and savory recipes for autumn. Perfectly versatile ingredients like pumpkin are used in sweet applications like pies, breads, and muffins, while their use in savory dishes such as curries, soups, stews, and chilis is abundant. Plus they contain lots of essential antioxidants and vitamins.

One cup of canned pumpkin provides nearly 200% of your daily requirement of vitamin A, as well as being an excellent source of fiber – an essential nutrient for good health. Fiber promotes satiety and can help people eat less to encourage weight loss while simultaneously helping prevent blood-sugar spikes and potentially decreasing the risk for diabetes by keeping blood sugar levels balanced.

Pumpkin can help reduce cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, two key contributors to heart disease. Furthermore, pumpkin may reduce triglycerides in your bloodstream and thus lessen your risk for high blood pressure.

Pumpkin, like other orange fruits and vegetables, contains beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A for low light conditions, germ protection, skin health benefits, and overall immunity boosting. Pumpkins also offer abundant Vitamin C sources, which help increase immunity.

Pumpkin can be enjoyed in numerous ways: Make homemade puree (it’s super easy!), incorporate it into smoothies and hummus recipes, or roast and cube it as part of dinnertime side dishes… Just be sure that any canned pumpkin you purchase does not contain added sugars such as fillings.

Pick a small, firm, bright-colored pumpkin for baking and cooking purposes. The skin should be hard with no soft spots or cracks, and the pumpkin should feel heavy for its size. To create homemade pumpkin butter, combine 1 cup of roasted and pureed pumpkin with 1/3 cup maple syrup/brown sugar/salt/cinnamon mix; spread on toast whole grain bread/pancakes/oatmeal; use as topping in soups and stews; or top off ice cream! It makes for an unforgettable treat for adults and children alike!

Pomegranate

Pomegranates make an eye-catching addition to any salad or fruit bowl, adding both sweet-tart flavor and visual interest. Unfortunately, these vibrant fruits typically only become available in stores between October and January – it would be wiser to stock up during their short growing season in order to enjoy them throughout the year. Packed full of antioxidants and fiber, both its seeds and juice offer delicious nutrition!

Pomegranate seeds are nestled inside an aril of colored, juice-filled pulp that’s often described as the aril. Each medium-sized pomegranate contains hundreds of seeds, each consisting of two parts – an outer hardened white membrane and an inner juicy kernel filled with red edible seeds. Eating an entire pomegranate may be challenging but is also rewarding: ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic cultures and recipes have utilized its seeds for millennia for both its delicious taste as well as providing essential nutrients like vitamin C, folate potassium, and phosphorous.

While pomegranates make for a delicious fruit snack, many prefer drinking their juice and using its seeds in smoothies or as garnish. To do so, cut one pomegranate in half and extract its seeds using a juice reamer; one medium-sized pomegranate usually yields around four cups of juice, which can be stored in the refrigerator for one or two weeks.

Seeds can also be eaten raw or added to salads, desserts, and other dishes for an assortment of health benefits. Their subtle sweetness adds flair to green salads, savory grain bowls, and fruit salads, as well as cheesecakes or ice cream desserts, cheesecakes, cheesecakes or ice cream, and even yogurt or chia pudding dishes! Their use forms part of Shirley Temple drinks while they can even be stirred into cocktails and margaritas!

Pomegranate seeds are an excellent source of vitamin C and also boast other essential vitamins and minerals. Their soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream, decreasing the risk of heart disease. Pomegranates also offer anti-inflammatory benefits that support gut health; research shows compounds present within this fruit inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain in humans.

Citrus peels

Citrus fruits are celebrated for their fresh and zesty juices that can be found in many drinks and desserts, providing vitamin C as well as other essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Unfortunately, their peels often get disregarded, either being discarded or composted, which wastes resources that could otherwise be put to good use in multiple ways.

Citrus peels offer more than just an aromatic boost for recipes; they’re also a natural preservative and beauty/cleaning product ingredient! Use citrus peels in homemade scrubs for kitchen/bathroom use or nontoxic furniture polish.

Prior to using citrus peels in cooking or making cosmetic products from them, it is vitally important to thoroughly wash them as they may contain pesticides, chemicals, and other residues that could harm our bodies. Therefore, it is recommended that, whenever possible, organic lemons or citrus fruits should be purchased.

At home, citrus peels can also be reused to make homemade simple syrup. Combine your peels with water in a pot, bring it to a simmer, reduce, and thicken. As it thickens further, the peels will take on an opaque appearance, while the syrup will become aromatic with citrus notes.

Use simple syrup in drinks and food and even as an all-natural garbage disposal cleaner! Plus, it makes an excellent natural alternative to table salt!

Citrus fruit peels offer many health advantages as well. When added to a daily diet, citrus peels may help prevent heartburn, lower high blood pressure, and boost immune system function – plus, they contain Vitamin C and limonene – both essential for glowing, healthy skin!

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses citrus peel to help stimulate the metabolism of the spleen chi and absorption of nutrition. Citrus peel has warming effects, is an antidepressant-type medicine, and is used in herbal remedies for various conditions, including inflammatory diseases and respiratory infections; plus, it has been shown to lower lipid levels in the blood while positively impacting weight management.