Zucchini is a very popular vegetable in our country., it is grown in almost every summer cottage. It belongs to the pumpkin family, and has an italian brother - zucchini... Although they are similar in their external qualities, there is still a difference between them. Let's find out how they differ from each other?
Is there a difference and how are they different?
You can distinguish zucchini from zucchini by several factors:
External characteristics
The first has a light green, tough skin and grows on a large, spreading bush, forming long shoots with small leaves and flowers.
His Italian brother has a dark green color scheme... The rind is soft and delicate in taste. The bush is compact, the leaves are large and rich in color.
Fruit size
Zucchini, with proper care, can reach up to 40 cm in size, and zucchini, only up to 25 cm.
Taste qualities and useful properties
The flesh of the zucchini is harsh, it is used only for the preparation of stewed and fried foods, it contains sugar, proteins, potassium, starch, pectin, phosphorus, iron and folic acid.
The flesh of zucchini is tender and soft, with a pleasant taste and aroma. Young zucchini can be eaten raw. Zucchini contain a large amount of vitamins: B, C, PP
Growing conditions
Zucchini is unpretentious in care, for good growth, the vegetable can be planted in partial shade, but only in nutrient soil.
His brother is more finicky to climatic conditions. If all the requirements are met, the Italian brother matures much faster than its relative.
Storage
If the zucchini is not damaged, then you can store them for a long time, in a cold and dark place. Zucchini are not subject to long-term storage.
Calorie content
Zucchini is a dietary product, the number of calories is 15%, in zucchini - 30.
Features of zucchini
Zucchini is the closest relative of pumpkin and squash. Mexico is considered the homeland, but Italians discovered the taste of this vegetable.
The vegetable grows on a miniature bush and has a dark green, yellow or delicate fruit color.
The vegetable is early ripening, from a bush you can get from 15 to 20 fruits. The bush is constantly bearing fruit, has a tender pulp with a minimum number of seeds. The rind is tender and soft, so it can be eaten raw.
The plant prefers a lot of heat and moisture, with slight frosts it can die.
The vegetable is low in calories, therefore it is ideal for losing weight, is well absorbed by the body and contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals.
It is quick to prepare, a few minutes are enough for complete readiness, if you overdo it, the vegetable hardens and loses its taste.
The benefits of a vegetable are great: it promotes the rapid excretion of bile, has a diuretic effect, improves the digestive process, improves blood composition, removes "bad" cholesterol, a decoction of flowers facilitates allergic reactions.
Fruits should not be used in violation of potassium excretion from the body and in case of individual intolerance.
Zucchini features
Zucchini is a creeping plant that forms a large bush with long shoots. Fruits are light green or light yellow in color, reaching a length of 40 centimeters or more.
Not eaten raw due to tough skin... In a mature vegetable, the seeds are large, which must be removed before cooking.
Up to 9 fruits can be harvested from one bush. Technical ripeness begins in early autumn. If the crop is not harvested on time, the fruits lose their taste, grow to enormous sizes and become hard and dry.
The vegetable itself regulates its fruiting: the amount of fruit will grow on the bush, how much it can feed.
The plant is unpretentious in care, it is not afraid of frost and temperature changes.
When growing a vegetable, it is necessary to prepare sufficient space for growth, since the bush reaches a height of up to 70 cm and forms spreading whips.
The plant is often attacked by insect pests.
How to plant and grow seeds outdoors
For a rich harvest, for zucchini you need to find an open, sunny place, while zucchini adapt well in partial shade.
Zucchini sprout much earlier, but as they grow, Italian relatives catch up and overtake them.
It is better to plant zucchini on high, fertile beds prepared in the fall, sprinkling the seedlings with sand or earth, while creating a slight heating, since the plant is thermophilic.
To get an early harvest, they are planted in seedlings in well-heated soil. Zucchini are less finicky, they are planted with seeds and they do not need shelter.
Watering zucchini in the open field is carried out 3-4 times a week during the formation of fruits. Zucchinis love to grow in moist soil.
A big plus when growing zucchini - this is that the plant does not need weeding, since the forming long lashes create a shadow in which the weeds do not grow.
Differences in storage and transportation
When the zucchini has a thick crust, they transport well and can be stored in a cool and dark place for up to several months. For long-term storage, it is necessary to choose not overripe and undamaged fruits.
The dairy brother as a whole cannot be preserved for a long time, since the delicate vegetable has a soft skin. At room temperature, it can only be stored for 1-2 days.
For longer storage (within five days), the vegetable is placed in a plastic bag and put into the refrigerator. For the winter, you can save a vegetable only frozen or in the form of blanks.
So, the difference between squash and zucchini:
- Dark green zucchini is much smaller than light green zucchini and grows in a bush with large leaves and flowers.
- Zucchini tolerates minor frosts and temperature changes, zucchini are more picky about weather conditions.
- Fruit ripening occurs much faster in the "Italian".
- Zucchini is consumed only fried, boiled, stewed or preserved; milk zucchini can be eaten raw.
- Zucchini is a dietary product, the calorie content is significantly less than that of zucchini.