Best Raw Vegan, Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian Sources of Iron - How to Help Avoid Iron Deficiency Anemia and Toxicity

Why Iron is Important

The World Health Organization claims that iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disease in the world affecting 30% of the population. Although many of the 2 billion affected are women and children in third world countries, iron deficiency is also prevalent in industrialized countries. Children, young girls and women of childbearing age are most “at risk” in the United States.

The most important use of iron in our bodies is to form hemoglobin – a molecule in our red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout our system. If there is not enough iron in your diet, you run the risk of developing iron deficiency anemia. Symptoms of anemia include fatigue, headache, shortness of breath, brittle nails, irritability, sore tongue, paleness of the skin, dizziness, weight loss and unusual food cravings.

Heme and Non-Heme Iron

Heme iron is the most easily absorbed form and only comes from animal products. Non-heme iron comes from plants and animal products. Plant sources contain 100% non-heme iron and animal products contain 40% heme and 60% non-heme iron. Because non-heme iron is less easily absorbed, vegetarians have a higher Recommended Daily Allowance of this nutrient. Even so, iron is so prevalent in the plant kingdom, with dietary care, vegetarians are no more at risk for iron deficiency than meat eaters.

Factors that Reduce Iron Absorption

Phytates, commonly found in nuts, beans and grains, can reduce the absorption of iron. Soaking or sprouting these foods, which is commonly done in the raw food community, can reduce phytic acid making the iron more bio-available. If buying bread or cereal, choose “sprouted” grain when available.

Tannins also decrease the absorption of iron and are found in black tea, coffee and wine. You may want to have that glass of wine before your iron-rich meal and skip the tea and coffee until much later.

Calcium should also be avoided when trying to optimize iron absorption. Calcium supplements should be taken several hours before eating an iron rich meal and calcium rich beverages such as milk should also be avoided during the meal.

Low stomach acid and antacids reduce iron absorption.

Phosphates in soft drinks can also reduce absorption of this important mineral. Here is one more reason not to drink soda with a meal (or ever, actually).

Factors that Enhance Iron Absorption

Vitamin C significantly enhances the absorption of non-heme iron. Citrus fruits, being high in vitamin C, improve iron absorption. When vegans and vegetarians eat many vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables, their absorption of non-heme iron can equal the absorption of heme iron by meat eaters. High vitamin C foods include: guava, kiwi, papaya, berries, citrus, orange juice, peppers, spinach, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and greens to name a few. Don’t forget, this vitamin is very heat sensitive, so it’s always better to eat the fruits and vegetables raw or cook them “crisp tender”.

Stomach acid also enhances absorption.

Daily Requirements for Non-Vegetarians

Adult men and post-menopausal women: 8 mg

Women of childbearing age: 18 mg

Pregnant women: 27 mg

Lactating women: 9 to 10 mg

Daily Requirements for Vegetarians

Adult men and post-menopausal women: 14 mg

Women of childbearing age: 33 mg

Pregnant vegetarian women: 48.6 mg

Can you get Too Much Iron?

The upper limit for iron is 45 mg a day which isn’t difficult to reach if your multi has iron, you cook with cast iron cookware and you eat fortified foods such as Total or Multigrain Cheerios. Excess iron has been known to cause constipation and GI distress. Iron toxicity symptoms include fatigue, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, weight loss, dizziness, and a gray hue to the skin. A hypothesis exists that suggests excess stored iron may lead to heart disease in men and post-menopausal women. Younger women, who regularly decrease their iron store during menstruation, enjoy a lower rate of heart disease. This would explain why women’s rate of cardiovascular disease after menopause increases. Many health professionals now suggest that adults avoid iron supplementation unless they are anemic. Many multi-vitamins are available "without iron".

Raw Food Vegan Sources of Iron: (source, NutritionData.com)

Raw Vegetables (Per 1 cup serving)

Asparagus, 2.9 mg

Mustard spinach, 2.3 mg

Leeks, 1.9 mg

Kale, 1.1 mg

Dandelion greens, 1.7 mg

Spring onions, 1.5 mg

Fruits (Per ½ cup serving or as noted)

Dried Apricots, 3.8 mg

Dried Peaches, 3.2 mg

Dried currants, 2.3 mg

Sun dried tomatoes, 2.5 mg

Avocado (1 cup pureed), 1.4 mg

Raw Nuts and Seeds (Per 1 ounce serving or as noted)

Pumpkin and squash seeds, 4.3 mg

Sesame seeds, 4.1 mg

Organic raw Tahini (1 tablespoon), 3.0 mg**

Cashew nuts, 1.9 mg

Pine nuts, 1.6 mg

Flax seeds, 1.6 mg

Hemp seeds, 1.3 mg

Grains

Unfortunately, very little data exists on raw, sprouted grains.

Crude rice bran (2 tablespoons) 2.7 mg

Sprouted wheat (1/2 cup) 1.2 mg

Raw Beans (Per 1 cup serving)

Peanuts, 6.7 mg

Sprouted lentils, 2.5 mg

Snow peas, sugar snap peas, 2.0 mg

Other

Dried spirulina (1 tablespoon), 2 mg

Parsley (1/2 cup fresh), 1.9 mg

Cumin seed (1 teaspoon), 1.3 mg

Dried Thyme (1 teaspoon), 1.2 mg

Cooked Vegan Food Sources of Iron (Source: NutritionData.com)

Cooked Vegetables (Per 1 cup serving or as noted)

Spinach, 6.4 mg

Swiss Chard, 4.0 mg

Potato (1 large baked), 3.2 mg

Beet greens, 2.7 mg

Collards, 2.2 mg

Brussels sprouts, 1.8 mg

Turnip greens, 1.2 mg

Kale, 1.2 mg

Broccoli, 1.0 mg

Cooked Grains (Per 1 cup serving)

Kellogg’s Oat Bran Flakes, 25.2 mg

General Mills Whole Grain Total, 24 mg

Multigrain Cheerios, 18.6 mg

Spelt, 3.2 mg

Quinoa, 2.8 mg

Multigrain bread,(2 slices), 1.4 mg

Brown rice, 0.8 mg

Cooked Beans (Per 1 cup serving)

Soybeans, 8.8 mg

Lentils, 6.6 mg

Black beans, 3.6 mg

Pinto beans, 3.6 mg

Garbanzo beans, 3.2 mg

Kidney beans, 3.0 mg

Peas, 2.4 mg

Other

Blackstrap molasses (2 tablespoons), 7.2 mg**

Sources of Heme Iron (Per 3 oz. serving or as noted)

Chicken livers, simmered, 9.9 mg

Chicken, thigh meat, stewed, 1.2 mg

Beef liver, braised, 5.4 mg

Beef, lean top sirloin, 1.5 mg

Egg, hard-boiled (2 large), 1.2 mg

Pacific oysters, raw, 4.3 mg

Tuna, light, canned in water, drained, 1.3 mg

Salmon, wild Atlantic, cooked dry heat, 0.9 mg

(**) source, manufacturers information

Summary

Iron is plentiful in both the animal and plant kingdoms.

Vegans can get sufficient iron from plants by eating those high in iron and eating foods like fortified cereals. Iron absorption will increase with the consumption of foods high in vitamin C at the same meal. To optimize iron consumption, grains and beans can be soaked to lessen phytate content. Tannins, antacids and soda should be avoided and calcium supplements should not be taken at mealtime.

Raw food vegans (especially pregnant women or women of childbearing age) may have a harder time getting sufficient iron, especially if on a 100% raw food diet. If you are 80% raw or less, consider supplementing your diet with high iron foods like cooked beans and taking all of the other precautions listed above.

Men and post-menopausal women should be careful not to supplement or eat too many iron-fortified foods unless they have iron deficiency anemia.

Mango Breakfast Pudding with Chia Seeds, Walnuts and Hemp Milk - Loaded with Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acid

An easy way to cut a mango.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday about the promising studies on the health benefits of omega 3. As I have pointed out many times, this fatty acid has been associated with reducing the risk of heart disease, which has been well publicized.This article also confirmed that there are studies considering the usage of omega 3 to treat or prevent Alzheimer's, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis and other serious conditions. Although the journal pointed out sources like salmon, mackerel, sardines, flax and walnuts, they neglected to point out some of the best vegetarian sources of omega 3 such as hemp and chia seeds (see my article on Best Fish and Vegetarian Sources of Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids). All in all, I'm glad that public awareness is increasing on the many benefits of this nutrient.

It's a Mango Morning

I've come across some wonderful, giant California mangos lately which I've been enjoying in salads and desserts. They are packed with vitamin A and vitamin C. They are also a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin B6. Here's a breakfast idea that takes advantage of the many benefits of raw mangos and also provides a large dose of omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids. Each serving provides over 4 grams of omega 3 and over 5 grams of omega 6. With only around 200 calories a bowl, it also provides over 8 grams of fiber per serving. Try this healthy breakfast pudding and make it a mango morning!

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Mango Breakfast Pudding with Chia Seeds, Walnuts and Hemp Milk

[serves 4]

2 cups Living Harvest vanilla hemp milk

5 tablespoons chia seeds

2 cups diced mango (1 huge or 2 medium mangos)

1/4 cup raw walnuts

The night before, combine chia seeds with hemp milk and stir vigorously with a fork for a minute or so. Let sit for 15 minutes and stir again until the chia seeds are well blended and separated. Let the mixture sit out for an hour, stir one more time and refrigerate overnight until thickened and firm.

In the morning, holding the mango so that the seed is vertical to the cutting surface, slice off half the mango. Turn the half over and, with the tip of the knife, score it into little squares being careful not to penetrate the skin. Then turn it inside out and cut away the squares. Do this to the other side. There will be some extra mango around the edges after doing both sides so just trim around and salvage what you can.

Stir the mango into the vanilla chia pudding. Divide into 4 bowls, top with walnuts and serve.

Per serving: 206.3 calories, 12.8 g fat, 1.9 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 5.1 g protein, 31.3 g carbohydrates, 8.3 g fiber, 4.3 g omega 3 and 5.6 g omega 6 fatty acids.

Raw Vegan Pear and Apple Crisp with Raisins

Pears, apples and raisins tossed with Fruit-Fresh produce protector.

One cup of fruit processed with soaked dates and nutmeg.

Raw crisp from processed walnuts, almonds and dates.

Prepared fruit being topped with crisp.

Completed pear and apple crisp in an 8 x 8 glass pan.

Pears and Apples are Wonderful Together

We've got boxes of harvested apples and pears thanks to generous friends with fruit trees. We love making raw crisps (see my recipe for Raw Vegan Peach and Blueberry Crisp). Since we enjoy both apple crisp and pear crisp, Doug and I thought we'd try putting them together. The juicy pears and crispy apples make a great combination.

Just Fruit and Nuts

If you've never tried a raw crisp before, you won't believe how good it is. And healthy too. The crisp is sweetened by the fruit itself along with the Medjool dates and seedless raisins. There is no added sugar. Nor is there any butter. The only fat is that from the heart healthy almonds and walnuts. This dessert is low in saturated fat and has zero cholesterol and nearly 6 grams of fiber per serving. The walnuts alone provide almost 1 g of omega 3 per serving.

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Raw Vegan Pear and Apple Crisp with Raisins [serves 8]

For the Crisp

1/2 cup raw almonds

3/4 cup raw walnuts

3 Medjool dates, unsoaked

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Filling

3 cups thinly sliced peeled and cored pears

3 cups thinly sliced peeled and cored apples

2 teaspoons Fruit-Fresh produce protector

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

4 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour

1/4 cup seedless raisins

To make the crisp, place almonds in a food processor with an S blade and process until coarse. Add walnuts, dates, cinnamon and salt and process until the mixture begins to stick together. Remove mixture and set aside. Don't wash the food processor, you'll be using it again.

To make the filling, place the pears and apples in a large bowl and toss with the Fruit-Fresh produce protector. Remove one cup of this filling and place in the food processor. Drain the soaked dates but don't squeeze out the moisture. Add them and the nutmeg to the food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides when necessary. Stir mixture into the bowl of sliced fruit along with the raisins.

Spread 1/3 of the crisp on the bottom of an 8" x 8" pan. Place all of the filing on top of it. Sprinkle the remaining crisp over the filling. Serve immediately or refrigerate. It will keep for several days.

Per serving: 246 calories, 11.6 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 4.1 g protein, 27.5 g carbohydrates and 5.6 g of fiber.

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Curried Gravenstein Apples

Save money and make your own quick vegetable broth.

This sugar pie yielded 5 cups of chopped pumpkin for my soup.

Peeled pumpkin with seeds removed.

Using your Harvest

We grew quite a few little sugar pie pumpkins and although quite a few of them will make their way into pies, a healthier way to use them is in a soup. Since we still have a few boxes of Sebastopol Gravenstein apples, this recipe will also use some of these. You can also substitute winter squash for the pumpkin and other types of apples for the Gravensteins.

Carotenoids - Strong Antioxidants

Red, yellow and orange vegetables are full of antioxidant rich carotenoids. Although Beta-carotene is the most well known, hundreds of carotenoids have been identified. These antioxidants are believed to enhance our ability to fight cancer and other diseases. The power of these and other plant chemicals is enhanced when they are consumed together so it’s best to get them from food than to buy a vitamin pill that has isolated a single carotenoid, like beta carotene.

Nutrient Content of One Cup of Cubed Raw Pumpkin [source, Nutrition.data.com ]

Calories - 30

Fat and cholesterol - 0 g

Carbohydrates - 8g

Fiber - 1 g

Protein - 1 g

Vitamin A - 8,567 IU (171 % Daily Value)*

Potassium - 394 mg (11%)

Riboflavin - 0.1 mg (8%)

Copper - 0.1 mg (7%)

Manganese - 0.1 mg (7%)

Vitamin E - 1.2 mg (6%)

Folate - 18.6 mcg (5%)

Iron - 0.9mg (5%)

Phosphorus - 51 mg (5%)

Thiamin - 0.1 mg (4%)

Vitamin B6 - 0.1 mg (4%)

* In descending Percent Daily Values (%DV) based on an adult 2,000 calorie diet.

Make your Own Quick Broth

You can substitute ready-made broth in this recipe. But if you want to save a few dollars and use herbs from your garden and on-hand veggies, you can throw together a quick broth while you are preparing the rest of the soup ingredients.

Creamy Soup Without the Cream

Whether you are vegan, lactose intolerant or you just want to save some calories, you can make your soup creamy by blending in potatoes instead of cream.

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Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Curried Gravenstein Apples [serves 4]

For the broth:

5 cups filtered water

2 carrots, each cut in three pieces

1 large piece celery, cut a few pieces

Skin and ends of a large onion

Sprig of fresh thyme

Handful of fresh parsley

4 peppercorns

2 cloves garlic in skin, each cut in half

For the Soup:

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 small pumpkin, peeled and chopped (about 5 cups)

1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped Yukon Gold potatoes

3 cups of broth (from above or ready-made)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

2 cups chopped Gravenstein (or other) apple

1 tablespoon Earth Balance or other vegan no-transfat margarine

1 teaspoon sweet curry

Black pepper to taste (optional)

Bring all broth ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, while you prepare the soup (or at least 30 minutes). In a 5 or 6 quart Dutch oven, saute onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of the broth (the above recipe may make a little more than that but only use 3 cups of it), the pumpkin, potato and salt. Bring to boil, then simmer until the pumpkin and potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Put the soup in a blender, blend until just smooth and return to the pot. Adjust salt if necessary. In a small sauce pan, saute apple in margarine and curry powder for 2 minutes, mixing continually. Divide soup in 4 bowls, top each with apples and freshly ground black pepper.

Per serving: 171 calories, 4.1 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 2.8 g protein, 33.9 g carbohydrates and 3.6 g of fiber.

Baked Honey Mustard Coho Salmon - Easy to Prepare and Full of DHA, EPA, B12, Selenium and More

Salmon Provides Vital Nutrients to your Diet

Coho's are in season and I’ve seen some pretty amazing deals lately. I usually buy a few pounds, slice the fillets in thin, 4 to 6 oz pieces and freeze some for later. Although summer is the ideal time for eating mostly raw fruits and vegetables, fish meals provide very important nutrients. In particular, EPA and DHA omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin B6, selenium and phosphorus. Salmon is low in mercury so it can be enjoyed regularly.

EPA and DHA are the omega 3 fatty acids most beneficial to your health and are vital for brain development and maintaining healthy arteries. You cannot get EPA and DHA from plants. The body can convert ALA omega 3 into EPA and DHA but not everyone’s body does this efficiently. One half of the fat in the human brain is DHA. This nutrient is especially important for pregnant women for proper fetal development.

You also cannot get vitamin B12 from plants. So vegans MUST supplement with this vitamin or they may eventually suffer from megaloblastic anemia, nerve demyelinization and other nervous system problems like confusion and depression. This is a good reason for raw foodists to enjoy an occasional piece of salmon.

Six ounces of Coho salmon cooked with dry heat provides:

236 calories

8 g fat

2 g saturated fat

94 mg cholesterol

0 carbohydrates

0 fiber

40 grams protein

1.9 g omega 3

1.8 g EPA and DHA

0.1 g omega 6

13.6 mg niacin (68% DV)*

1 mg B6 (48% DV)

8.6 mcg B12 (142% DV)

64.6 mcg selenium (92% DV)

548 mg phosphorous (54% DV)

* for adults based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Source, Nutritiondata.com

Fast and Easy

With 5 minutes of preparation and less than 15 minutes cooking time, this may be one of the easiest recipes you will ever make. I served this to a dozen people last weekend so feel free to double, triple and quadruple the recipe. The only difference is, it may take an extra minute or so to cook when you have lots of salmon in the pan.

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Baked Honey Mustard Coho Salmon [serves 2]

3/4 pound wild Coho Salmon filet

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons local honey

1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped -optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a small baking dish with olive oil. Wash off the salmon and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut into 2 equal pieces. Rub the pieces briefly in the oiled pan skin side up to coat the salmon and then turn them skin side down. In a small cup, mix mustard, honey, lemon juice and sea salt until smooth. Spoon the mixture over the top and sides of the salmon. Bake for 12 minutes or until salmon flakes with a fork (do not over cook). Top with black pepper to taste and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Caramelized Peaches with Soy Ice Cream and Almonds - A Delicious Low Calorie Vegan Dessert

Peaches are now available at your local farmer's market.

Boil each peach for 30 seconds before removing skin.

Caramelized peaches after broiling for 5 minutes.

Peaches are in Season

At the Sebastopol farmers market this weekend, it seemed like every stand was selling big, juicy peaches. Most of them were about $3 a pound but we found someone who was selling 10 pounds for $10 dollars. Only a dollar a pound, what a deal! With all of these peaches, I started thinking about simple and healthy ways of preparing them. This dessert makes a lovely presentation and takes less than 15 minutes.

I Can't Believe a Dessert This Good is Less Than 100 Calories

You wouldn't think a half of a peach with a few tablespoons of ice cream would be this satisfying, but it is. It’s a pleasurable mixture of textures and temperatures. The firm peach, the creamy ice cream and the crunch of almonds together with the frozen ice cream melting on the hot, caramelized peach delights your senses. And if you must, eat two halves. It’s still less than 200 calories, which is also considered a low calorie dessert.

Peaches - Sweet, Delicious and Rich in Fiber and Vitamins

A large peach is only 68 calories and contains high amounts of fiber (3 g) and vitamin C (11.6 mg). It’s also a good source of vitamin A (570 IU), niacin (1.4 mg) and potassium (333 mg).

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Caramelized Peaches with Ice Cream and Almonds [serves 4]

2 large peaches, 2 3/4 inches in diameter

4 teaspoons Sucanat or organic cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup soy or other non-dairy ice cream

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Boil peaches in a small sauce pan of boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skin. Remove and skin the peaches, cut in half and discard pits. Arrange peach halves in a pie pan. In a very small bowl, combine Sucanat or sugar with the cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the 4 peach halves. Broil the peaches 5 inches away from the broiling element for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the peaches caramelize. Remove from the oven and place each peach half in a small, shallow serving bowl. Scoop out the soy ice cream with a mellon baller and place a small scoop (about 2 tablespoons full) on each peach half. Top with sliced almonds and serve immediately.

Per serving: 98 calories, 2.2 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 1.9 g protein, 19.1 g carbohydrates and 2.6 g of fiber.

Raw Hummus with Sprouted Garbanzo Beans

Garbanzo beans in a large sprouting jar.

Sprouted Garbanzo beans.

Sprouting Garbanzo Beans

With a good glass sprouting jar, making your own sprouts is fun, nutritious and quite convenient. In the past I’ve had mixed results with garbanzo beans. The first time I tried to sprout them, I got beautiful little sprouts after 3 days but the next two times, I couldn’t get them to sprout at all. Perhaps the seeds weren’t raw to begin with or were not of good quality. They just seemed to “rot” before they would sprout. I asked my daughter, Linda, what her experience was with sprouting garbanzos and she gave me her secret. She sprouts them in the refrigerator! Since my house is generally cooler than hers, I kept the sprouting jar in the refrigerator during the heat of the day and took it out at night. As you can see, it worked beautifully. I wouldn’t do this with most other sprouts as they generally require a more steady environment of about 70 degrees.

For nutritional information on garbanzo beans, see my July 13^th and August 14^th posts . Flax seed oil is added to balance out the high omega 6 content of the tahini, garbanzos and olive oil giving it an optimal 4:1 ratio.

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Raw Hummus with Sprouted Garbanzo Beans [serves 4]

1/2 cup dried raw organic garbanzo beans

2 tablespoons raw tahini

1 cup peeled zucchini, chopped

1 or 2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

pinch cayenne (or to taste)

1 teaspoon flaxseed oil

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil for drizzle

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Four days in advance, place the dry garbanzo beans in a large sprouting jar. Cover with cool, filtered water (about three times their volume) and gently swirl the jar to remove air pockets. Soak for 12 hours. With the sprouting lid on, drain the water, rinse, and drain again. Place the jar upside down and store out of the sun. Rinse and drain every 8 to 10 hours and keep jar inverted. To prevent rotting, you may store the inverted jar in the refrigerator during the day and leave out of the refrigerator at night. In about 3 days, you will see a little "tail" about 1/4 inch long. Rinse well. They are now ready to use. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of sprouted garbanzo beans.

Place the sprouted garbanzo beans, tahini, zucchini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper, flaxseed oil and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides. Put the mixture in a serving bowl and stir in the parsley. Taste for salt and cayenne pepper and adjust if needed. Drizzle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil, garnish with another pinch of chopped parsley and serve with raw vegetables or crackers (see my raw cracker recipe).

Per serving: 182.1 calories, 9.7 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 6.9 g protein, 19.0 g carbohydrates, 5.1 g fiber, 0.7 g omega 3 and 2.7 g omega 6 fatty acid.

When to Harvest and How to Cure Pumpkins and Winter Squash

Spaghetti squash stems shrivel and dry when ripe.

Some pumpkin stems turn very dark green when ripe. Others shrivel and turn light brown.

Cure in the sun for 10 days to harden skin and extend shelf life.

Is it Time to Harvest my Pumpkins and Winter Squash?

Although we've grown a few pumpkins in the past, this is the first year we had the room to experiment with winter squash and expand our pumpkins patch. They have been really fun to watch grow but I wasn't sure when to harvest them. After all, they are called "winter" squash and I always thought they should be pulled out of the ground right before winter sets in. Well, that may be true in Vermont but here in California, some of these vegetables are ready to harvest, especially if you planted them early in the spring.

I pulled out "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Edward C. Smith to get some expert advice. According to Smith, the two indicators that tell you winter squash are ripe are: (1) the stems begin to shrivel and dry and (2) the skin is so hard that you can't cut it with your thumbnail (although he warns that pumpkin skin may remain a bit soft even when ripe). The stems of my spaghetti squash definitely shriveled and became light brown. The stems of our pumpkins and some of the other squash however, turned a dark green. The stems of my friend's pumpkins, which were larger and of a different type, shriveled and became light brown, similar to our spaghetti squash. I also looked at the seed packets to see how many days until maturation to make sure I had left them in the ground long enough.

Harvesting and Curing

When harvesting, leave a good bit of the stem on the squash and pumpkins, at least an inch. Smith warns not to carry them by the stems or they may break off. He didn't have to warn me. The stems are full of spines and it hurts to carry them that way.

Just like we did with garlic, we need to cure the pumpkins and winter squash if we want to extend their shelf life. But unlike the garlic which we kept in a ventilated shed out of the sun, you want to put the pumpkins and the winter squash in the sun for 10 days.

I'm definitely not going to store all of them so you'll be seeing some pumpkin recipes real soon! Good luck with your harvest.