Ravellis Kürbiskerle
For a few years the pumpkin has been experiencing a renaissance in Europe. The ongoing trend has two main reasons. On the one hand, more and more people choose to buy seasonal vegetables. When it gets colder outside, the pumpkin as a typical autumn fruit provides for a warm and cozy feeling in the belly in freshly pureed soups, stews and casseroles. If you like it hearty, you can season pumpkin dishes with garlic and onion. The dishes get more exotic with chili, curry or ginger. For sweet pumpkin dishes cinnamon, pineapple, apples or oranges are a good choice.
The second reason for the growing popularity of pumpkins is their decorative appearance. In contrast to cucumbers or carrots, many people like to decorate their apartment with colorful ornamental pumpkins. And since Halloween is celebrated in Europe, it has even another task. The Jack O'Lantern is the symbol of the scary celebrations on 31 October. In the USA, hollowing out pumpkins has a long tradition. As early as the beginning of the 19th century, Irish immigrants carved pumpkin lanterns for Halloween. The custom has lost nothing of its fascination to this day. On the contrary. A large part of the North American pumpkins is even cultivated for this purpose only.
The pumpkin is the largest field crop. The goal of many breeders and amateur gardeners is an especially large and heavy exemplar. The cultivation of giant pumpkins even becomes a competitive sport. In the race for the biggest pumpkin you can of course not compete with every variety. For the fight for the crown most breeders rely on the variety ”American Giant“. A pumpkin of this kind will weigh more than 100 kilos without great effort. With proper care and fertilization, however, a pumpkin can also be grown which has to be lifted from the patch with a crane. In 2016 the pumpkin of a Belgian breeder weighed incredible 1,190.5 kg in a competition in Ludwigsburg. This is more than a small car and official world record.
About 800 species and approximately 130 genera belong to the family of the pumpkin plants. In addition to the simple marrow, the cucumber and watermelons are also included. Excavations in Peru and Mexico have shown that the pumpkin is one of the oldest cultivated plants of humanity. Archaeologists assume that the natives of these countries cultivated pumpkins more than 9,000 years ago. However, not all pumpkins are bred for consumption. The so-called ornamental pumpkins are usually smaller than their cousins, but they have more interesting shapes and often beautiful bright colors. You should not eat them because they usually contain the toxic bitter substance cucurbitacin. In addition to edible and ornamental pumpkins, there are the oil pumpkins. They contain significantly more seeds. From these, pumpkin seed oil is pressed. Because of its high content of unsaturated fatty acids it is a particularly valuable vegetable oil. Pumpkin seeds are also a great snack. The crispy seeds taste delicious both pure and roasted. They can even be refined with chocolate or yoghurt.
The funny-colorful Kürbiskerle (German for pumpkin fellows) of Ravellis are simply delicious. The nutty flavor of the pumpkin seeds is skillfully highlighted by refining the roasted organic pumpkin seeds. The Kürbiskerle ”Organic Yoghurt Chocolate & Lemon“ spread the spirit of the Californian summer: White chocolate, yoghurt and lemon oil envelop the roasted pumpkin seeds in an elegant way. Do you prefer dark chocolate? Then you should try the Kürbiskerle in the varieties ”Organic Dark Chocolate & Fleur de Sel“ or ”Organic Dark Chocolate & Coconut“. The varieties ”Organic Vanilla & Cinnamon“ and ”Organic Ginger Caramel“ are available without chocolate. Finest raw cane sugar is blended with sweet vanilla and cinnamon or rounded off as a crunchy caramel with an invigorating ginger note. With the imaginative combinations of the Kürbiskerle by Ravellis you will experience fine roasted aromas, a nutty taste and wonderful refinements. For powerful pumpkin pleasure!
