They are harvested in huge quantities, the green or yellow long zucchini. Some amateur gardeners are overrun by the rich zucchini harvest, so neighbors are richly gifted with the delicious all-rounders. After all, nothing is more delicious than seasonal vegetables that probably come straight from the garden if possible!
Zucchini was bred from the garden squash in the 17th century, which is how they got their name “little pumpkins” (from Italian “Zucco”: pumpkin, dubbed “zucchini”: little gourd). The zucchini vegetable is easy to grow and thrives in flower pots on balconies and terraces. It can be extended in spring until the end of May, and as soon as the fruits reach a length of 10 to 20 centimeters, at which time they are said to have the best flavor, they can be harvested in summer.
The small pumpkin plants can be processed in many ways to creative variations: whether fried, baked, or cooked as a stew, casserole or zucchini noodles, the so-called “zoodles,” whether grilled as a vegetarian main dish and a side dish, or whether pickled as antipasti or even eaten raw. Summer vegetables can also be enjoyed uncooked without hesitation, as long as they come from your garden or have been grown organically in a controlled manner. In these cases, you can be sure there are no synthetic pesticide residues on the peel. Raw zucchini understandably impress with an even higher content of vitamins, which may be lost during further processing.
But even after their preparation, they still contain many vitamins and other vital substances: Important calcium for bone health, high-quality iron for our blood, and potassium for better well-being. But also vitamin B for the nervous system and metabolism, as well as beta-carotene and vitamin C, the zucchini has to offer in relatively large quantities and makes it so valuable from a nutritional point of view. In addition, it consists of 90% water and provides no more than 20 kilocalories per 100 grams. This perfect vegetable can therefore be enjoyed without (figure) concerns.
However, care should be taken with varieties that taste bitter. The cucurbitacin responsible for this, which is not destroyed even when heated, can cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. However, zucchini is particularly easy to digest and gentle on the stomach without this relatively rare bitter substance.
So take advantage of the zucchini season to conjure delicious summer dishes from this healthy all-rounder – for example, with a zucchini salad, pickled zucchini as a vegetarian barbecue alternative, or a refreshing green zucchini smoothie for in between meals!
- source: eucell.de/picture: pixabay.com
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