Survival UK Forums

Reproduced from http://www.naturalnews.com/040549_pumpki...althy.html

Pumpkin historical facts and trivia
• Pumpkin was originally discovered in Mexican caves dating back to about 7,000 BC.

• The North Americans were the first people to use pumpkins as food and as herbal medicine.

• Today, pumpkin seeds, called pepitas by the Mexicans, are a basic ingredient in Mexican dishes.

• People of ancient Greece also made use of pumpkin seeds.

• For every 100 grams of pumpkin seeds, one can get 559 calories.

These seeds increase in nutritive value as they age. According to research done in the Experimental Station in Massachusetts, squash and seeds of pumpkin that have been stored for a long, long time increase in their protein content.

More nutrition facts and health benefits
• Pumpkin seeds have large amounts of minerals that include copper, iron, manganese, magnesium and phosphorus.

• These seeds are rich in Vitamin K.

• These seeds are able to help in lowering LDL cholesterol in human bodies. This is because they have phytosterols compounds.

• Pumpkin seeds promote sleep and lower depression. This is due to the presence of tryptophan (in them) which when absorbed in the body becomes serotonin, a good sleep inducer.

• Pumpkin seeds contain big amount of zinc, a mineral very important in preventing osteoporosis.

• Pumpkin seeds are a very good source of vitamin E and the B vitamins.

• Pumpkin seeds are full of protein as mentioned earlier. They also reduce inflammation associated with arthritis.

• Pumpkin seeds have been found to have the ability to prevent formation of kidney stones.

• In some cultures, pumpkin seeds are used as a natural remedy for tapeworm and many other parasites.

• Pumpkin seeds are perfect for men who are at risk of developing prostate cancer. The oil contained in these seeds helps to alleviate urination associated with enlarged prostate.

Time to take a closer look at squash
Squash and its seeds are not as popular as other natural health sources, so some people might not even be considering it. With the large number of benefits mentioned above, it is time that people take a look at pumpkin seeds for the many benefits they can bring. They can be the health gem people have been searching for.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname...ce&dbid=82

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits...-6627.html

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pumpkin-seeds.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/037568_pumpki...state.html

and don't forget Pine Nuts which we can easily seek out in most areas of the UK.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-incre...-nuts.html

to go along with the pine nut post......

---

also this...
how to eat a pine tree.....
http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog...e-tree.htm

(30 May 2013, 09:34)Prepper1 Wrote: [ -> ]Time to take a closer look at squash
Squash and its seeds are not as popular as other natural health sources, so some people might not even be considering it. With the large number of benefits mentioned above, it is time that people take a look at pumpkin seeds for the many benefits they can bring. They can be the health gem people have been searching for.

Spaghetti Squash make a great alternative to paasta. Steam it and rake the insides with a fork and it make noodle like strips.

I hope to grow them next year

I'm still trying to figure out how the ancient Greeks used pumpkins when that particular vegetable was a Native American development and not available in Europe until the 16th Century?

Is someone mistaking the use of the Greek word for "melon" with the Greeks having the melon?

Anyway, the "Three Sisters"; corn, beans and squash, provide all the basic nutrients needed for healthy life. They are also excellent crops for growing in "gurillia gardens" planted in sunny patches deep in the woods. One can grow them with no real cultivation or tools other than a simple garden hoe.. Just rake up a big mound of dirt, drop in three or four seeds from each of the veggie types and check on it now and then.

That is the way the three crops were developed to grow. The Indians did not clear fields, they girdled the trees and killed them and planted between the standing tree trunks. Our concept of straight rows of plants in cleared fields was not their vision of a garden. Their crops were planted in scattered mounds spaced randomly as the forest allowed.

Corn will not pollinate well when planted as a few rows in the average garden. It wants to be planted in bunches, as the Indians developed it. The hills of dirt with clumps of 6-12 stalks works perfectly, needs little maintenance when planted with the beans and squash.

I have corn, pole beans and acorn squash, planted together in hills, growing in my back yard right now. I put that patch in a hillside spot with plenty of sun that I hesitated to till deeply due to the slope. All three crops are coming up now and doing well.