In this the 13th instalment of Food for Thought/Grow & Eat Local, we focus on pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), both belonging to the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family known as cucurbits.
Five species are commonly grown worldwide for their edible fruit, variously known as squash, pumpkin or gourd depending on species, variety and local parlance, and for their seeds. Zucchini belongs to the squash group but bears its fruits on a non-vining plant. Other kinds of gourd, also called bottle-gourds, are native to Africa and include the genera Lagenaria and Citrullus (watermelon) which is in the same family and subfamily as Cucurbita but in a different tribe.
These other gourds are used as utensils or vessels and their young fruits are eaten much like those of Cucurbita species. Both pumpkin and watermelon vines can produce perhaps the largest fruits. Other important and diverse food plants in the Cucurbitaceae family include these which have their origin in Asia: Cucumis sativus–cucumber, Luffa spp–jhingi, Trichosanthes cucumeria–snake gourd and Momordica charantia–caraillee.
This series seeks to inform about the 149 crops that are grown in T&T (not counting the varieties within many of them). These 149 crops are depicted on two charts with a photo of each crop in alpha order giving the local and scientific names and were sponsored by First Citizens. The model has been duplicated in Barbados, St Lucia and St Vincent, and efforts are underway to do so in Jamaica and Guyana. Copies have been distributed to all schools and libraries. Information regarding their availability: email fruitstt@live.com
Pumpkins are widely grown for commercial use and are used both in food and recreation (halloween). Giant pumpkins are a large squash (within the group of common squash Cucurbita maxima) that can exceed one ton (2,000 pounds) in weight. First cultivated in the Americas before being brought to Europe by returning explorers after their discovery of the New World, plants in the genus Cucurbita are important sources of human food and oil.
Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking. Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including the fleshy orange shell, the seeds, the leaves, and even the flowers. Here in T&T, young stems with leaves and pumpkin flowers are picked and cooked as bhagi. It is an important ingredient in Caribbean cooking–either cooked alone as a vegetable or added to stews, callaloo, soups and steamed in salads.
Raw pumpkin is also used for preparing pumpkin punch. In Trinidad, pumpkin is cultivated throughout the year and is one of the major export crops. It is also an important food cooked for Hindu weddings and religious festivals.
There are numerous varieties of pumpkin cultivated in T&T, but what the shopper looks for is a pumpkin that cooks "dry" and does not have lots of water. Varieties that cook dry have a deeper flavour. The local variety known as "crapaud back," because of the rough and bumpy skin, is prized since it cooks dry. Among other uses, extracts are used in cosmetics for dry and sensitive skin.
The many culinary uses include talkari/choka, pumpkin pie, biscuits, bread, desserts, puddings, beverages, and soups. Pumpkins and other Cucurbita fruits are celebrated in festivals and in flower and vegetable shows in many countries. Pumpkin is a good source of vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
It is also a good source of dietary fibre, vitamins A and C. Like other orange-coloured food, pumpkin contains the antioxidant, beta-carotene. Pumpkin seeds are a popular snack that can be found hulled or semi-hulled at most grocery stores.
Per-ounce serving, pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein, magnesium, copper and zinc. Pumpkin seed oil is a thick, green-red oil that is produced from roasted pumpkin seeds. When used for cooking or as a salad dressing, pumpkin seed oil is generally mixed with other oils because of its robust flavour and is used in cooking in central and eastern Europe.
It is considered a delicacy in traditional local cuisines such as for pumpkin soup, potato salad or even vanilla ice cream. Pumpkin seed oil contains fatty acids, such as oleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid.
Watermelon is a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) flowering plant originally from southern Africa. It is grown for its edible fruit which is mainly eaten cold and fresh. There are more than 1,200 cultivars of watermelon which range in weight from less than one kg to more than 90 kilograms (200 lbs). Small varieties called ice-box varieties can easily fit in the refrigerator. Watermelon flesh can be red, orange, yellow or white.
Considerable breeding effort has been put into the development of disease-resistant varieties and into developing a seedless strain. Many cultivars are available, producing mature fruit within 100 days of planting the crop. Evidence of watermelon cultivation in the Nile Valley has been found from the second millennium BC onward.
In the 7th century, watermelons were being cultivated in India and by the 10th century had reached China, which is today the world's single largest watermelon producer. Moorish invaders introduced the fruit into Europe and there is evidence of it being cultivated in C�rdoba in 961 and also in Seville in 1158. It spread northwards through southern Europe, perhaps limited in its advance by summer temperatures being insufficient for good yields.
The fruit had begun appearing in European herbals by 1600, and was widely planted in Europe in the 17th century as a minor garden crop. European colonists and slaves from Africa introduced the watermelon into the New World. Spanish settlers were recorded as growing it in Florida in 1576, and it was being grown in Massachusetts by 1629.
By 1650, it was being cultivated in Peru, Brazil and Panama as well as in many British and Dutch colonies. Around the same time, Native Americans were cultivating the crop in the Mississippi valley and Florida. Watermelons were rapidly accepted in Hawaii and other Pacific islands when they were introduced there by explorers such as Captain James Cook.
A 100-gram serving of watermelon fruit supplies 30 calories (mainly from fructose) and low amounts of essential nutrients and little fibre. Only vitamin C is present in appreciable content at ten per cent of the daily value. Watermelon fruit is 91 per cent water, contains six per cent sugars, and is low in fat. Watermelon pulp contains carotenoids, including lycopene.
Watermelon rinds are also edible but most people avoid eating them due to their unappealing flavour. They are used for making pickles and sometimes used as a vegetable. The amino acid citrulline is produced in watermelon rind.
Trinidad has a long history of watermelon cultivation especially in the lagoon fields after harvesting of rice. Originally watermelon was cultivated in Penal, Plum Mitan, Kernahan but today, it can be found cultivated across the country mainly in the dry season.
Here in T&T we tend to gravitate towards fruits and foods that are not local. Estimates are that our food import bill is near TT$5 billion annually and growing. A committee has been appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries to monitor the foods being imported in T&T with the aim to reduce the high food import bill and encourage local farmers to produce more.
Did you know that in the 1960s the Macqueripe/Tucker Valley was lush with citrus and banana fields producing more than enough to supply the nation? In other fertile areas other crops were prolific. Oil centricity, industrialization and non-agricultural business have essentially put paid significantly to the agricultural sector.
Today, there must be innovation in agricultural production to assist local farmers if we are to reduce our huge food import bill. Government has announced its intention to establish a 130-acre agro park in Wallerfield and that the Ministry of Agriculture's allocation of $831 million in the 2016 budget "had not yet been touched."
UWI is challenging its agri-science students to design prototypes for growing food and agricultural economist Omardath Maharaj is calling on citizens to engage and support the resurrection and revival of local food production, processing and consumption. According to him "we must, as a country, begin to focus on food sovereignty as a critical and sustainable step on the path ahead. We must return to this old time religion."
Visit the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries' website at http://www.agriculture.gov.tt/
Nutrient Content of Watermelon and Pumpkin (Values per 100g)
Food Calcium (mg) Iron (mg) Potassium (mg) Sodium (mg) Zinc (mg) Vit.A Thiamin (mg) Riboflavin (mg) Niacin (mg) Total Folacin (mg) Cyano Cobalamin mg
Watermelon 8 0.2 116 2 0.1 37 0.08 0.02 0.2 2.2 0 10
Pumpkin - Raw 21 0.8 340 1 0.2 160 0.05 0.11 0.6 10 0 9
Cooked, drained 15 0.6 230 1 0.2 108 0.03 0.08 0.4 10 0