When people visit their local family-owned pumpkin patch around Halloween, they aren't usually looking for dinner. The majority of the nearly 2 billion pounds of pumpkins cultivated in the US each year are carved up instead of eaten, making the squash a unique part of the agriculture industry. For people who prefer seasonal recipes to decorations, that may raise a few questions: Are the pumpkins sold for jack-o'-lanterns different from pumpkins sold as food? And are Halloween pumpkins any good to eat?
人们在万圣节前拜访当地的农家自有南瓜地时，他们通常都不是在找吃的。每年美国会产出近20亿磅(约合9亿千克)南瓜，大多数都不是用来吃，而是用来雕成南瓜灯的。这使得南瓜成为美国农业一个独 特的组成部分。对于那些偏爱时令美食而不是装饰物的人来说，他们可能会有几个疑问：作为南瓜灯原材料出售的南瓜和作为食物出售的南瓜一样吗?万圣节南瓜的味道好不好?
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The pumpkins available at farms and outside supermarkets during October are what most people know, but that's just one type of pumpkin. Howden pumpkins are the most common decorative pumpkin variety. They've been bred specifically for carving into jack-o'-lanterns, with a symmetrical round shape, deep orange color, and sturdy stem that acts as a handle.
十月份在农场和超市外买到的南瓜就是大多数人知道的那种南瓜，但这只是南瓜的一个品种。豪登南瓜是最常见的装饰性南瓜品种。它们是专门为制作南瓜灯而培育的，形状是对称的圆形、颜色是深桔黄色，粗壮的根茎可以用来做把手。
Because they're bred to be decoration first, carving pumpkins don't taste very good. They have walls that are thin enough to poke a cheap knife through and a texture that's unappealing compared to the squashes consumers are used to eating. "Uncut carving pumpkins are safe to eat; however, it's not the best type to use for cooking," Daria McKelvey, a supervisor for the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden, tells Mental Floss. "Carving pumpkins are grown for their large size, not the flavor. Their flesh can be bland and the fibers are very stringy."
因为这种雕刻南瓜首先是用来做装饰物，因此味道不是特别好。它们的南瓜壁足够薄，廉价的小刀也可以轻易地插进去，它们的质地相比消费者常吃的那种南瓜来说也更不讨喜。密苏里植物园肯珀家庭园艺中心的主管达莉亚·麦凯尔维告诉Mental Floss网站说：“没有动过刀的雕刻南瓜也可以安全食用，但不是上好的食材。种植雕刻南瓜要的是它们的大个头，而不是味道。它们的果肉滋味寡淡，纤维多，口感很粗糙。”
To get the best-tasting pumpkins possible this autumn, you're better off avoiding the seasonal supermarket displays. Many pumpkin varieties are bred especially for cooking and eating. These include Sugar Pie, Kabocha, and Cinderella pumpkins. You can shop for these varieties by name at local farms or in the produce section of your grocery store. They should be easy to tell apart from the carving pumpkins available for Halloween: Unlike decorative pumpkins, cooking pumpkins are small and dense. This is part of the reason they taste better. McKelvey says. "[Cooking pumpkins] are smaller, sweeter, have a thicker rind (meatier), and have less fibers, making them easier to cook with—but not so good for carving." These pumpkins can be stuffed, blended into soup, or simply roasted.
想要买到今秋最好吃的南瓜，最好避开超市的季节性展销。许多南瓜品种都特别适合烹饪和食用，包括糖馅饼、日本绿皮南瓜、灰姑娘南瓜等品种。你可以在当地农场或食品杂货店的农产品区买到这些品种的南瓜。你应该很容易就能将它们和万圣节的雕刻南瓜区分开来：和装饰性南瓜不同，用于烹饪的南瓜小而紧实。这也是它们更美味的原因之一。麦凯尔维说：“用于烹饪的南瓜更小、更甜、皮更厚更多肉，纤维更少，这也使它们更便于烹饪，但不太适合被雕刻。”这些南瓜可以放入填料、加进汤里，或直接炒着吃。
If you do want to get some culinary use out of your carving pumpkins this Halloween, set aside the seeds when scooping out the guts. Roasted with seasonings and olive oil, seeds (or pepitas) from different pumpkin varieties become a tasty and nutritious snack. Another option is to turn the flesh of your Halloween pumpkin into purée. Adding sugar and spices and baking it into a dessert can do a lot to mask the fruit's underwhelming flavor and consistency.
今年万圣节如果你实在要把雕刻南瓜做成食物，你可以将瓤掏空后把籽留下。加入佐料和橄榄油一起炒，不同品种的南瓜籽都能成为美味而营养丰富的小吃。另一个办法是将万圣节南瓜的果肉捣成泥，放入糖和调味品，将其烤成一道点心，这种做法可以极大地掩盖南瓜浓厚的味道和粘稠感。
Whatever you do, make sure your pumpkin isn't carved up already when you decide to cook with it. There are many ways to recycle your jack-o'-lanterns, but turning them into pie isn't one of them. "If one does plan on cooking with a carving pumpkin, it should be intact," McKelvey says. "Never use one that's been carved into a jack-o'-lantern, otherwise you could be dealing with bacteria, dirt and dust, and other little critters."
无论怎么做，你要确保你的南瓜在烹饪前没被动过刀。回收南瓜灯的方法有很多种，但是做成馅饼不是其中一种。麦凯尔维说：“如果有人计划把装饰性南瓜做成菜，南瓜应该是完好无损的。永远不要用一个已经被雕成南瓜灯的南瓜来烹饪，否则你要面对的是细菌、尘土和灰，还有其他微生物。”
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