Seminole pumpkin makes an excellent substitute for pumpkin or butternut squash when cooking. You don’t have to limit yourself to eating the flesh of these pumpkins, either. Young, green fruits can be harvested and eaten without peeling. The beautiful yellow flowers are also edible raw, stuffed, or even fried.

The Seminole Pumpkin is pear-shaped or spherical with an incredibly hard shell or rind, which takes some effort to break open. These pumpkins range in color from deep gold to light salmon on the outside, with deep orange flesh and a flavor similar to a slightly sweet butternut squash.

Calories: 30. Protein: 1 gram. Fat: 0 grams. Carbohydrates: 7 1/2 grams.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central database, 1 cup or 245 grams (g) of cooked, boiled, or drained pumpkin, without salt, contains: 1.76 g of protein.

The Seminole Pumpkins are eaten in a variety of ways—raw, boiled, fried, baked, mashed, steamed, stuffed, dried, or used in pies. Young fruits can be pickled, and the seeds are eaten raw or roasted. The flowers, leaves, and young stems are eaten as a green vegetable or added to soups.

between six to twelve months
Once the Seminole pumpkins are orange in color, they are ready to harvest. If stored in a cool, well-ventilated area, the pumpkins can last anywhere between six to twelve months with no effect on the taste or quality. These pumpkins are also known to last for a long time due to their thick exterior.

Uses. The Seminole Pumpkins are eaten in a variety of ways—raw, boiled, fried, baked, mashed, steamed, stuffed, dried, or used in pies. Young fruits can be pickled, and the seeds are eaten raw or roasted. The flowers, leaves, and young stems are eaten as a green vegetable or added to soups.

The American Heart Association recommends a quarter cup of daily intake of pumpkin seeds as part of an overall healthy diet, which is approximately 30 g. This amount will provide you with a good amount of protein, healthy fats, fiber, zinc, selenium, magnesium, and other effective nutrients.

Superfood: Pumpkin It’s high in vitamin C and beta carotene. Pumpkins are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, substances that may help prevent the formation of cataracts and reduce the risk of macular degeneration.

Spring
Seminole Pumpkins can be planted almost any time of year except the dead of winter. Spring or summer is the best time to plant. The harvest is ready in about 95 days, but the vines will produce until the first frost.

To preserve their harvest of Seminole pumpkins, aboriginal Floridians sliced and dried the fruit. Thanks to their thick skin, Seminole pumpkins can be stored whole for a couple of months, even in Florida’s humid climate. In a dry location with good ventilation, they can be stored for up to a year.

The Seminole Pumpkin is pear-shaped or spherical with an incredibly hard shell or rind, which takes some effort to break open. These pumpkins range in color from deep gold to light salmon on the outside, with deep orange flesh and a flavor similar to a slightly sweet butternut squash.

When Panfilo de Narvaez was on an expedition in 1528 near what is now Tallahassee, Fl., he saw Seminole Pumpkins under cultivation. They still grow in the wild in many states, Florida north to Pennsylvania.

Seminole pumpkin blossoms are usually bee-pollinated, but manual pollination is possible, too. UF/IFAS Photo: Sally Lanigan. While these plants don’t suffer from many of the usual summer vegetable pests and diseases, they are not pest free. Gummy stem blight occurs occasionally.