Keywords
healthy diet
Cucurbitaceae
pumpkins
cucumbers
watermelons
melons
How to Cite
Abstract
This publication from the Healthy Harvest series is intended for individuals who are interested in learning more about cucurbit crops that are grown in Florida, and ways to store, prepare, and cook these crops in healthy meals. Written by Catherine Campbell, Julia Graddy, Jeanette Andrade, and Wendy Wilber, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, July 2025.
Accessibility Summary:
In accordance with Title II regulations this content meets all points of exemption as Archived web content and/or Preexisting conventional electronic documents.
References
Agehara, S., Dufault, N. S., Kanissery, R., & Martini, X. (Eds.). (2024). Vegetable Production Handbook of Florida. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/CV292
Bertoia, M. L., Mukamal, K. J., Cahill, L. E., Hou, T., Ludwig, D. S., Mozaffarian, D., Willett, W. C., Hu, F. B., & Rimm, E. B. (2015). Changes in Intake of Fruits and Vegetables and Weight Change in United States Men and Women Followed for up to 24 Years: Analysis from Three Prospective Cohort Studies. PLOS Medicine, 12(9), e1001878. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001878
CalFresh. (n.d.). Discover Foods [California Department of Social Services]. EatFresh. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://eatfresh.org/discover-foods/
Court, C., Ferreira, J.-P., Botta, R., & McDaid, K. (2023). Economic Contributions of the Agriculture, Natural Resource, and Food Industries in Florida, 2019: FE1136, 7/2023. EDIS, 2023(4). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fe1136-2023
Dai, S., Wang, C., Zhao, X., Ma, C., Fu, K., Liu, Y., Peng, C., & Li, Y. (2023). Cucurbitacin B: A Review of Its Pharmacology, Toxicity, and Pharmacokinetics. Pharmacological Research, 187, 106587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106587
Dittmar, P. J., Dufault, N. S., & Agehara, S. (2023). Chapter 1. Commercial Vegetable Production in Florida: VPH ch. 1, CV100/HS710, rev. 6/2023. EDIS. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-cv100-2023
Ferriol, M., & Picó, B. (2008). Pumpkin and Winter Squash. In J. Prohens & F. Nuez (Eds.), Vegetables I: Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodicaceae, and Cucurbitaceae (pp. 317–349). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30443-4_10
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. (2025). Fresh from Florida: Recipes. https://www.followfreshfromflorida.com/recipes
Guelinckx, I., Tavoularis, G., König, J., Morin, C., Gharbi, H., & Gandy, J. (2016). Contribution of Water from Food and Fluids to Total Water Intake: Analysis of a French and UK Population Surveys. Nutrients, 8(10), 630. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8100630
Guinness World Records. (2013). Heaviest Watermelon. Guinness World Records. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-watermelon.html
Hung, H.-C., Joshipura, K. J., Jiang, R., Hu, F. B., Hunter, D., Smith-Warner, S. A., Colditz, G. A., Rosner, B., Spiegelman, D., & Willett, W. C. (2004). Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Major Chronic Disease. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 96(21), 1577–1584. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djh296
Kaur, S., Panghal, A., Garg, M. K., Mann, S., Khatkar, S. K., Sharma, P., & Chhikara, N. (2019). Functional and Nutraceutical Properties of Pumpkin — A Review. Nutrition & Food Science, 50(2), 384–401. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-05-2019-0143
Manchali, S., Chidambara Murthy, K. N., Vishnuvardana, & Patil, B. S. (2021). Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits of Various Botanical Types of Melon (Cucumis melo L.). Plants, 10(9), Article 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091755
Maoto, M. M., Beswa, D., & Jideani, A. I. O. (2019). Watermelon as a Potential Fruit Snack. International Journal of Food Properties, 22(1), 355–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2019.1584212
Paret, M. L., Frey, C., Boyd, N. S., Wang, Q., Desaeger, J., Qureshi, J., Meszaros, A., & Martini, X. (2023). Chapter 7. Cucurbit Production: VPH ch. 7, CV123/HS725, rev. 6/2023. EDIS. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-cv123-2023
Park-Brown, S., Treadwell, D., Stephens, J. M., & Webb, S. (2021). Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide.
Smith, A. F. (Ed.). (2012). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199734962.001.0001/acref-9780199734962
UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. (n.d.). Seminole Pumpkin. Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/vegetables/seminole-pumpkin/
USDA. (n.d.). FoodData Central. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
USDA NASS. (2023). Table 36. Vegetables, Potatoes, and Melons Harvested for Sale: 2022 and 2017. Census of Agriculture for Florida. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/st99_1_036_036.pdf
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 UF/IFAS