Content
Zucchini is probably the most popular vegetable in Russian gardens. Our gardeners love them very much for their unpretentiousness, abundant harvests and the opportunity to eat fresh vegetables from their garden in June. Zucchini is famous for its variety. There are varieties that differ in ripening time, color, and shape. Zucchini is white yellow, green, striped, serpentine, almost round, thin, thick, there is even pear-shaped zucchini and spaghetti squash.
A little history
What, in principle, is this vegetable? Zucchini belongs to the pumpkin family and is an annual, heat-loving plant. It has large, powerful leaves, increased vegetative mass, an active and very strong root system. America is considered his homeland.
People began growing zucchini in ancient times, about four thousand years ago. And it reached Europe only in the middle of the 16th century. In those days, this plant was considered decorative because of its beautiful, large, bright flowers. Zucchini appeared in Russia in the eighteenth century, and then because of the admiration of the then Russian bohemia for everything Italian.Trying to be like the Italians in everything, rich houses began to serve dishes from young, week-old greens, the use of which is still popular today, because the larger the zucchini, the coarser its pulp.
Description
Zucchini is a type of herbaceous bush or climbing plants with a powerful erect or creeping stem that has clearly defined edges. The leaves are very large, hard, and shaped like the paw print of an animal of unprecedented size with five fingers. Both the leaves and the thick petioles have a prickly, spiny edge. Zucchini pollination is cross-pollinated. Flowers of extraordinary beauty, bright yellow, in the shape of a large bell. They are unisexual - if the peduncle is long, then the flower is male, if it is short, it is female.
Zucchini fruits usually have an elongated cylindrical or oval shape, with white or creamy flesh. There is also a pear-shaped zucchini, depending on what variety is sown. Young, unripe zucchini have tender, sweetish flesh and thin skin, the testes have a hard skin and coarser and already unsweetened pulp.
Pear-shaped zucchini
Pear-shaped zucchini has an early ripening period, and the fruiting period is quite long (from July to the end of September). The shape of the fruit is interesting - pear-shaped, the fruits are not too large from 800 grams to 1.3 kg, the usual length is about 25 cm. The pulp of the pear-shaped zucchini is rich orange in color, with a pleasant aroma. An important difference between pear-shaped zucchini and other varieties: even after long-term storage, the skin of pear-shaped zucchini does not become rough and easily lends itself to a knife when cutting. This variety stores very well and for a long time. A photo of a pear-shaped zucchini can be seen below.
This beautiful pear-shaped fruit has a rich chemical composition, which includes various vitamins, microelements and mineral salts. In addition, pear-shaped zucchini contains pectins and antioxidants, which will undoubtedly bring great health benefits. And if we add its low calorie content (270 kcal/kg), then we can safely call this vegetable simply irreplaceable on the dietary table. Many housewives especially like pear-shaped zucchini pancakes. They simply have no equal in terms of aroma and beautiful orange color!
What are the benefits of pear-shaped zucchini?
- removes radionuclides from the body;
- participates in skin rejuvenation and lightening;
- restores metabolism;
- reduces blood cholesterol levels;
- strengthens the cardiovascular system due to the high content of magnesium and potassium;
- restores hemoglobin to normal;
- gently removes excess fluid from the body;
- has a positive effect on the liver;
- Due to its natural sugar content, it is recommended for use by patients with diabetes.
Pear-shaped zucchini tends to be quickly digested; moreover, they do not cause allergies, so they are well suited for consumption by sick people and children. Squash flowers can also be used as food. They are added to soups, salads, and baked in the oven. Since the antioxidants contained in zucchini are destroyed during heat treatment, the oven or microwave is best for preparing dishes from such a wonderful vegetable as pear-shaped zucchini.
The greatest value of pear-shaped zucchini is its high content of beta-carotene, so the benefits of consuming these zucchini are truly priceless.
Growing zucchini
If you want to get an earlier harvest of pear-shaped zucchini, then, of course, it is better to plant them in open ground through seedlings.
How to grow seedlings
Sowing of pear-shaped zucchini seeds is carried out in the twentieth of April, maximum in the first days of May for growing in an open bed, and for a greenhouse - in the last days of February, since seedlings can be planted in a greenhouse already in April.
For growing pear-shaped zucchini seedlings, containers approximately 10 or 12 cm in diameter are best suited. These can be plastic glasses, sour cream glasses, cut-off milk cartons, etc. In one glass you need to plant two or three zucchini seeds to a depth of about 1-1.5 cm, so that after germination you select the strongest sprout, and delete the rest.
10-12 days after planting, when the growth of the stem becomes slower, moist soil should be added, while twisting the stem with a screw until only the leaves of the cotyledons remain above the surface.
If pots with seedlings are placed on windows facing south, then additional lighting is not required. In other cases, it is advisable to organize additional lighting so that the seedlings do not stretch out.
Germination of pear-shaped zucchini seeds begins at a fairly low temperature (+13+16°C); after germination, it is necessary to increase the ambient temperature to +20+25°C.
Planting seedlings in open ground
You can plant pear-shaped zucchini seedlings in an open garden bed as early as late May-early June, when their age reaches 25-30 days. You need to keep in mind that the squash bush is quite voluminous and takes up a lot of space. Therefore, the distance between the sprouts of pear-shaped zucchini should be at least a meter. It is advisable to fertilize the holes in which the seedlings will sit with two kilograms of humus or compost and water thoroughly with warm water.
This can be done by taking pots of seedlings into a greenhouse or shade for several hours.
Reviews from gardeners about pear-shaped squash
