Features of feed pumpkin

There are many legends about this vegetable. The first mention of a pumpkin is found in the Bible. Nowadays it is widespread. Both the dining room and the feed pumpkin is unpretentious in cultivation, gives a consistently high yield. Both varieties have useful properties. The latter is often used as livestock feed, which is reflected in its name.

Features of the feed pumpkin

Feeding cattle

Because of the high carbohydrate content, pumpkins are used by cattle breeders as winter food for cows, pigs and sheep. To do this, it is simply cut in half and fed to animals. Cattle gladly eats chopped vegetables and frozen. In a heavily chopped form, it is introduced into the chickens winter menu.

For 2 months, the pumpkin is stored fresh in a dry, dark room at a temperature of no higher than 5 ° C. To increase the period of its use, silage feed is made from it, together with leaves, legumes, waste from grain production. Then, with fodder beets, it is laid in silage pits.

Pumpkin efficiency

After the introduction of fodder pumpkin into the diet of farm animals, the following changes are observed:

• dairy products have a pleasant smell, color and contain more carotene than milk of cattle raised on a different feed;
• animals have healthy offspring without complications during childbirth;
• the pig’s weight gain rate increases significantly;
• the cow’s milk increases;
• hens rush more often, and yolk of eggs of saturated color.

Introduction to the diet of animals of this vegetable, due to the peculiarity of its chemical composition, improves their absorption of rough concentrated feed. As a result, fattening is more efficient, which reduces the costs of the farmer.

The best varieties

Scientists call this crop false fruit. But these “berries” are one of the largest on earth. Fodder culture is characterized by high productivity. Its features are large size, thick peel and loose texture of the pulp.

Sowing seeds per 1 ha gives up to 50 tons of fruit. This relatively cold-resistant plant has the longest shelf life among other varieties of this vegetable.

Of the large number of species, it is worth highlighting the Stofuntovaya variety. They called this pumpkin, because by its weight it reaches 25 kg, and sometimes it weighs more. The shape of the fruit is spherical. The pulp is orange, in structure – friable. Pumpkin is resistant to transportation and storage.

The variety Volga gray 92 is widely known. Its resistance to drought and diseases is noted. It received the greatest distribution in the Volga region due to the presence of sandy soils. Like the previous variety, it stands out for its high yield and large mass.

In agriculture, varieties such as Hybrid 72, Record, Titan, Gribovskaya bush 189, etc. are widespread.

Eatability

Some varieties of fodder pumpkins are consumed

The most widely used in cultivation are special cultivated varieties. Fodder pumpkin, due to the peculiar taste, is not so popular among people. However, some of its varieties, for example, Volga Gray 92, are acceptable for food.

For many years only peasants have eaten this vegetable. The townspeople and those who considered themselves prosperous citizens did not eat it.

On the American continent, this product was eaten by people who were considered the most backward – Indians. However, as a result of problems with food, they began to relate to it differently.

And today, pumpkin is one of the most favorite dishes of Americans. No thanksgiving can do without it. For use only on Halloween, whole fields are planted with this vegetable.

Not only the flesh is the edible part of the fruit. Almost all parts of a vegetable have nutritional value: flowers, leaves, seeds, stems. All parts of the plant contain vitamins A, C, as well as iron and calcium. They are boiled, fried, baked. Flowers can even be consumed raw.

Seeds are particularly preferred. They are eaten raw, dried and fried. The pulp contains many nutrients, setting records among many vegetables.Carotene, which is responsible for clarity of vision, is 5 times more in pumpkin than in carrot.

Adding vitamin E (oil, dried apricots, seeds) to it, we get a delicious cancer medicine that will improve skin quality, balance hormonal background and reduce the symptoms of menopause. Due to its low calorie content, obese people include it in their diet.

The vegetable has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages. This variety is contraindicated in those who have an active stage of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver.

During an upset stomach, this vegetable should also not be eaten. People with severe diabetes are not allowed to eat raw pumpkins.

Differences between fodder pumpkins and tablespoons

The main difference between fodder vegetables and tablespoons is their large size. The latter is more modest in size. For a product that is eaten by humans, completely different requirements apply, for example, ease of use.

A table culture can grow up to be very small in size and can be used as a whole. Two equally important requirements for the pumpkin used by humans are its higher palatability and nutritional value.

Price

This a variety in different regions costs about the same. The price of feed pumpkin ranges from 15-20 rubles. for 1 kg. The cultivation of this giant vegetable is today considered one of the promising areas in agriculture.

The sale of seeds is particularly profitable, because they are the most expensive part of the vegetable.