Transcript Fruits and Vegetables The Flavor of Life

Winter Squash
Network for a Healthy California
Tulare County Office of Education
Varieties of Winter Squash
Acorn
Banana
Butternut
Spaghetti
Turban
Pumpkin
Hubbard
Carnival
Reasons to Eat Winter Squash
A ½ cup cooked of these winter squash provides:
An excellent source of vitamin A
A good source of vitamin C
A good source of fiber
Reasons to Eat Winter Squash
A good source of potassium
A good source of magnesium, thiamin,
and vitamin B6
A source of iron
What is Iron?
Iron is a mineral that helps move
oxygen from the lungs to the
rest of the body.
Iron carries oxygen throughout your
body so cells can produce energy.
When your iron levels are low, you may
feel tired or weak.
Iron also helps keep red blood cells
healthy and helps the body fight
infections.
Botanical Facts
Squash are gourds of
the Cucurbita (q-kurr-bit-ah) genus.
Varieties: Winter and Summer
Winter squash are not grown or harvested
in winter, but picked when fully ripe and
feature a hard shell (rind) with thick skin
you can not eat and a hollow seed cavity
with fully developed seeds.
The thick shell allows it to be stored for
several months and eaten in the winter.
Have you ever tried pumpkin soup?
A Taste of Squash History
Squash are one of the
oldest cultivated crops
in the Western
Hemisphere.
A Taste of Squash History
Squash were originally cultivated for their
seeds, as early varieties did not contain
much flesh and were very bitter.
How would you describe a bitter taste?
A Taste of Squash History
Winter squash first
migrated to Europe from
Peru by Spanish
explorer Francisco
Pizzaro.
Plant Parts We Can Eat 
Squash plants have many edible parts
including the fruits, leaves, tendrils,
flowers, and seeds.
Plant Parts We Can Eat
The seeds are eaten whole,
toasted, ground into paste,
or pressed for oil.
Shoots, leaves, and
tendrils are eaten as
greens.
Blossoms are used for
cooking and decoration.
Plant Parts We Can Eat
Some plants have edible
fruit but poisonous
leaves like tomatoes.
The fruit is perfectly ok
to eat!
National School Lunch Week
March 4-8
Write in a journal what you ate for
lunch at school and at home for two
weeks.
Write down only what you ate, not
what was served.
Which is healthier, lunch you ate at
home or at school?
Quiz
1. Iron is a mineral that helps move _____from the lungs
to the rest of the body.
Oxygen
2. Winter squash grow best in the _______.
Summer
3. Squash were originally cultivated for their _______.
Seeds
4. Squash have many parts you can eat. True or False?
True
5. Francisco Pizzaro invented pizza. True or False?
False
Tasting Trio
Pumpkin Parfait
Ingredients:
1. 1 can (29 oz) 100% pumpkin
2. 1 container (32 oz) low-fat or fat-free vanilla
yogurt
3. 1 quart-sized bag ( 3 cups) mini wheat cereal
Preparation:
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the canned
pumpkin and yogurt.
2. Gently break up the cereal to use as a topping.
3. Make your parfaits, starting with the pumpkin
mixture, then topping it with the cereal.
HOW I FELT ABOUT THIS RECIPE
Loved it
It was okay
Didn’t like it
You are AWESOME!
For CalFresh information, call 1-877-847-3663. Funded by USDA SNAP, an equal opportunity
provider and employer. Visit www.cachampionsforchange.net for healthy tips.
•California Department of Public Healthealth